Bringing the Mobian's Husband Home
by XoxILoveyouxoX
Summary: Base off of Bringing The Nations Husband Home - Amy and Shadow are married; however it is not out of love. There is a lot more behind this hidden and secretive marriage then meets the eye. Rated M for reasons, I don't own Sonic or the novel.
1. The Beginning

_Bringing the Mobian's Husband Home - A Shadamy fic_

* * *

Based off of _'Bringing the Nation's Husband Home'_ novel

* * *

 _Every mobian tries to do their best to love one another, but sometimes, they always end up forgetting to say 'I love you.'_

* * *

When Shadow's phone alarm sounded, Amy was the first one to wake up. She turned sideways, her pink fur brushing up against something warm. Her eyes fluttered open, and then widened when she realized she had fallen asleep in Shadow's arms! Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to force her brain to remember what happened. After a few seconds, the night's previous event's started to come back to her. She jumped off the bed and ran to the bathroom in a panic. Along with the ringing from the phone and her moving about, she happened to wake up Shadow. He opened his red eyes, and the first thing he saw was Amy slipping into the bathroom. Even though it was just a glance, he could tell that she was completely naked. Kiss marks and bruises accessorized her pink fur. He stared for a moment, before his brain also registered what had happened.

Amy had climbed into his bed last night, kissed him, caressed him, and then started undressing him...

Shadow furrowed his eyebrows. He scanned the room, took in the mess that was on the bad, and glared hard at the male and female pajamas that were tangled together on the floor. There was a small patch of blood on his used to be white sheets.

Shadow had too much to drink the night before, which is what caused him to have a splitting headache. But this did not stop him from figuring out what had happened as he put two and two together. As he stared at the blood stain, he remembered what they did the night before.

It was not a dream.

Everything was real.

His eyes darkened as he clenched the blanket. The next second, he yanked it open and marched towards the bathroom, his face cold and hard and full of anger.

* * *

Amy shut the bathroom door, sliding down it as she tried to take deep breaths. She had also been drinking the night before. Intoxicated and out of her mind, she had climbed into Shadow's bed and into his arms. She had thought that it was a dream. Her kissing him, him kissing her back. Not once had it occurred to her that it was real life. But then again, wasn't it bound to happen? She and Shadow had been married about two months. However, it was not a marriage of love, and the public was not aware of them being together. The following two weeks after they had married, they had avoided one another. When they were not at home, they treated each other as if they didn't know the other. But now, she had broken the agreement that they had made.

How would he react? Just thinking about it made her shudder.

After a few moments, Amy reached towards the shower with trembling hands. Just as she was about to calm herself with a shower, the bathroom door flew open. Shadow charged in and grabbed her arm, yanking her backwards. He gently pushed her into the wall. He was frustrated, and had to control his strength around Amy or he would lose it. Amy's ears lowered against her head as she was pinned. She inhaled sharply as he snarled at her.

"Amy Rose, I never knew you had the ability to take advantage of me."


	2. Months Later

_"Amy, I never knew you had the ability to take advantage of me."_

Did she? Her teeth bit into her lip as she got lost in thought. He continued to press her, "How could you climb into my bed when I was drunk?" Shadow lowered his eyes and pulled Amy's chin up with one free hand. He lifted her face up and stared into her eyes. "Amy, if I remember correctly, on our wedding night, you said you didn't want me to touch you. It is now two months later, and now you can't wait to crawl into my bed?"

Shadow remained emotionless as he spoke. The aura around him seemed dangerous, and usually left people cowering in fear. But not Amy Rose. She stood tall and held his glare with a look of her own. Before she could speak, a smirk appeared on his face as he dared to ask, "Or have you always wanted to get in my bed?"

Her heart raced. She didn't want her feelings to be found out so soon, so she quickly let her mind jump into things without thinking, "I want a part in _'To the End of Time!'_ "

Shadow almost choked on air. Amy thought he had spoken too fast when he didn't respond, and went to speak again. He however put a finger on her lips, stopping her from continuing. A confused look plastered itself on his face. She felt like her heart was going to explode, but kept going, moving his hands away from her face.

"As you know, it's been more than half a year since my debut but I haven't taken on any substantial roles. Since you hold a lot of authority in this industry, just a word would secure me a role in _'To the End of Time'_." She paused briefly, before speaking in a smaller voice, "Last night was my payment..."

Shadow's eyes had a mix of emotions in this, and he tried to suppress his anger. The fingers on her side started to tremble and he chuckled. "Amy Rose, are you trying to play games with me?" His smile disappeared moments later and he glared sharply at her. "Alright, if you want to play that much, I'll be glad to entertain you."

* * *

Shadow had glared hard at her with a dangerous expression before he removed his hands from her side and left the bathroom. As soon as he left the room, Amy's calm exterior faded as she collapsed to her knees. She remained glued to the wall until she heard a thundering door slam. Only then did she remember to breathe.

 _'Why did I say I slept with him for a role in a show?'_

She had just wanted to use it as an excuse to conceal her feelings. Feeling only kept to herself. Her love for him. She had been in love with him for thirteen years, never allowing him to know. She thought that if she just hid them, everything might turn out alright, or they would go away. She never thought her intoxicated state would bring her to revealing her deepest desires. She had over estimated herself.

* * *

Even though Amy had infuriated Shadow, she still received a phone call from the crew of the show three days later, informing her to go in for an audition. She still didn't know if the audition was due to Shadow or the director.

Her screen time for the drama was neither too little nor too much. It wasn't a major role, but it wasn't a terrible one either. But it was much better than the last one she was in. Since the role was obtained through undignified means, the audition was just a formality. Right after that, she signed the contract.

Three days later, Amy officially joined the crew. Just a day after Shadow had flown off to Rome to film a new movie. After that wild night together, the married couple of two months had spoken to each other not once.

* * *

Three months later, the television drama successfully ended off in a rented mansion worth millions of dollars. The whole crew erupted in joy, the happiest being the director. He picked up his phone and generously booked the top dining hall of the hotel they were staying at, treating the whole crew to a celebratory meal.

 _'To the End of Time'_ ended around three in the afternoon. The crew needed to pack up equipment and the actors needed to remove their make up and change to get ready for the celebratory meal that would be at eight that evening. Shadow had been in Rome all that time due to the filming of his new movie. Using the limited two day break in between his schedule, he returned to the country to settle issues in the company.

Due to the time limit, Shadow had barely any time to rest from the long flight. Right after landing at the airport, he went straight to the company. Without wasted time, the meeting started the minute he entered. The board has already gathered and was just waiting for his arrival. The meeting started at three in the afternoon and lasted about three more hours. Shadow's assistant followed him into his office as it ended.

"Shadow," A yellow fox with bright blue eyes wearing a black suit said, "I've already booked the midnight flight to Rome. After this, you can rest up to fifteen hours before your next scene."

"Thank you, Tails."


	3. The Dinner

After the long flight and a meeting that last the whole afternoon, Shadow looked dead. He sat in his office and casually took out his phone every now and then, while listening to Tails report his schedule. Just as he was about to lock his phone, a message had come in. He clicked it, it was an alert saying that _'To the End of Time'_ filming had been completed. He saw there was going to be a celebratory banquet at the hotel not too far from where his company was. He stared at the message for a few moments before lifting his head. He nodded to Tails after hearing the report. Tails had been working for him for many years now, so he was well in sync with his boss's personality. Trying to get around whatever he could feel Shadow now having in mind, he asked, "Shadow, there are a few hours before the plane leaves. Do you want to eat here in the city or at the air port?"

Shadow smirked a bit, "In the city."

* * *

Shadow and Tails had finished their meal at the hotel at about eight thirty. Shadow turned to him and told him to go to the car and to wait for him, because there was something he needed to do first. Tails nodded at him. As soon as Tails was out of sight, Shadow made a bee line for the elevator.

* * *

As part of the crew, Amy was naturally at the dinner. The minute she reached the city, she had bathed, changed clothes, done her hair, and applied light make up before rushing to the hotel. Despite being prepared ahead of time, Amy was still late for the dinner. When she walked in, the director was already on the stage, addressing the crowd and expressing his gratitude. Since everyone was focused on that, no one noticed Amy come in late. She looked around the crowd for a while before making a beeline for her manager, a small rabbit named Cream.

After the directors speech, the dinner began. Since it was a banquet, socializing and alcohol were customary. Although Amy wasn't an A lister in the industry, she still had a pretty face, perfect figure, and a good personality. Her hair was long and to her lower back, and her eyes a beautiful emerald green. She fit in perfectly.

By the time she got done greeting everyone in the banquet, she was starving. She pulled Cream to the buffet area, and filled her plate before sitting near a random window. She and Cream exchanged small talk, and after a few bites, the originally loud and excited banquet hall fell suddenly silent.

Amy lifted her head in curiosity as she continued to munch on her food. She followed the direction of the crowd's gaze, and that's when she saw Shadow.

* * *

The memory from three months ago came back into her mind. She remembered the way Shadow pinned her to their bathroom while after she had climbed into his bed.

 _"Amy Rose, are you trying to play with me?"_

Amy had tightened her hold on her utensil, and her heart pounded. He must still be very upset with her if he hadn't contacted her in months. She sighed, admitting to herself that is also partly her fault. She had been hiding from him, but despite her efforts, she still ended up running into him tonight.

He was dressed in a well fitted black suit. His tall and trim features were shown off. The bright lights in the hall fell on his face, and his facial features become observable: sharp nose bridge, thin lips, strong brows, dazzling...

The entertainment industry was saturated with good looking people. One could easily pick out an entertainer that would stand out in the crowd. However, Shadow was not just that. He was charismatic, easily making him the center of attention wherever he went. That's why silence fell on the room the minute he walked in. The director was the first to come back to his senses, as he stood and went to greet Shadow, offering him a glass of wine, "Mr. Shadow..."

The atmosphere heated up and everyone went back to how they were before he walked in. Many people jumped up and went to greet him. Shadow however strolled towards the seating area as though no one was speaking to him. Even though it was just a short walk, he was still able to capture everyone's attention.

The director held onto the wine glass, fawning over Shadow with a smile on his face.

Amy was still eating in the seating area. When she was still a good distance away from him with the crowd shielding her, she could look at him. But now he was making his way over to that area, and she couldn't bring herself to lift up her head. She remained motionless in her seat, no longer moving her fork in her food. He was getting closer.

"Mr. Shadow, why didn't you inform us that you were coming? I could have gotten someone to escort you." When the director spoke, Amy could feel Shadow walking right towards her. She tightened the grip on her fork and her back straightened. She tried to focus on her plate of food, as her chewing slowed. Cream gave her a weird look, wondering what was going on with her friend. When Amy finally thought Shadow had walked past her, she let out a sigh of relief. But then she heard something, and that was when she realized...

Shadow had sat down in a chair right behind her.


	4. Rainy Memories

When Amy first fell in love with Shadow, her dreams were constantly filled with him. As time went by, she was scared to see him. Whenever he came near her, she was filled with anxiety. These feelings only got stronger after that incident three months ago. At this very moment, Shadow was sitting right behind her. All her senses were heightened, and her fight of flight senses kicked in. Her ears twitched as she grew aware of his voice. Her palms started to sweat.

Shadow and the directors conversation were centered around dramas and movies. Amy put down her fork, whispering to Cream that she needed to go to the bathroom, and proceeded to stand up. But the moment she stood, so did Shadow. Was it coincidental, or did he do it on purpose?

The wash room was behind Amy, and the dining hall exit was behind Shadow. Just as she turned, he turned as well, and their gazes met. Just a glance had Amy shaking in her boots, but she kept calm on the outside. The two of them had been married for five months now, secretly. The news had never picked it up, so the two of the were strangers to each other.

Amy clenched her fists, trying to calm down. She forced a smile as she looked up at him, "Evening, Mr. Shadow."

He stared back at her as he did that day, with no emotion in his eyes. He stared down at her and into her eyes deeply, before turning away from her, taking long strides towards the exit. It was as if he refused to acknowledged that the woman standing in front of him was the same woman he had married months ago. Shadow had a cold personality that made it difficult for others to get close to. His authority in the industry instilled fear in other people. As soon as he left, people started to talk about him.

 _"Shadow is indeed a legend in the industry."_

 _"He's not just a legend, but a God!"_

 _"He built his own empire from scratch. It's said that he entered the industry as a poor boy without any background."_

 _"What's most unbelievable is that when the company was facing bankruptcy issues, he took out all his savings to buy it. Everyone thought he would go down with the company, but in just three short years he has made it the biggest entertainment company in the country!"_

 _"I heard he doesn't like to interact much, but he's definitely at the top in terms of looks and ability. It's no wonder he's called the Mobian's Husband. Wonder who he will end up marrying?"_

 _"Now that you mention it, he's 28 now, and isn't married. Shouldn't he it least have a girlfriend?"_

 _"Maybe he doesn't like girls?"_

Amy munched away at her food again, listening to the endless chatter. Cream couldn't hold back her curiosity. She lifted her head up to Amy, who was right in front of her. "Why is he here? Isn't he supposed to still be filming in Rome?"

Even though the marriage was kept a secret, Amy still told Cream everything. Cream wasn't just her manager, but her best friend also. Amy looked up into her friends eyes and shook her head, "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Asked Cream quietly, "Amy, are you even his wife? He didn't even call to notify you when he came back from Rome?" Just then, Cream remembered that when Shadow stood to leave just now he hadn't even given Amy the time of day. She thought they were trying to cover up the marriage, but now it seems that isn't the case. "Are you guys like that in private? How often do you two talk?"

Amy looked down, not speaking. She and Shadow weren't interacting in private at all. In the five months they had been married, they spoke three times. The last time they spoke he was scolding her for climbing into his bed. Thinking of that, her lips curved upwards slightly, and she let out an awkward laugh. She ignored Cream's first question, but answered her second.

"We haven't spoken in three months."

* * *

"T-Three months?" Cream widened her eyes in shock. "Amy, are you his wife or his mistress? No, at this point, this is worse than a mistress. A mistress would it least get benefits, but what have you gotten, Amy? Look at what you're wearing. These items hardly together cost more than a five digit sum. With the authority he yields, he could easily turn you into an A lister, but instead he gave you a small role in this production."

Cream was quiet as she spoke, but Amy could tell her friend was angry. She remained silent as her friend went on her rant. Indeed, she admitted to herself, she was worse than a mistress. Even though both roles included sleeping with a guy, a mistress had to be of interest to the man at the very least. But Shadow was infuriated with her after they had slept together.

Amy lifted a cup of coffee to her lips as she downed a big gulp. Calmly, she began to speak again. "We were forced to get married. There were no feelings involved, lack of communication is normal."

Amy and Cream have been friends since they were very young. Their interests and hobbies were different, but they still had a close relationship. Finally, Amy took a deep breath. Cream frowned at her friend, "Amy, during middle and high school, there weren't many girls who could talk to him, but you were one of them. He treated you well and had even gone out to play with you several times. Why did you suddenly stop interacting in college? Why did you start treating each other as strangers that had never met before? Many times he would treat you impatiently, not minding his language. What exactly happened?"

Amy shook her head, "I don't know Cream, I've been trying to think about what happened also."

* * *

Tails had already parked the car at the main entrance by the time Shadow exited the hotel. The minute Tails saw him, he rushed out to open the back door for him. Shadow entered without a word. Tails closed the door, and when he got back to the drivers side, he raised his head to peek at his boss's expression, only to find his face tight with his lips clenched into a straight line. Tails jumped a bit, he had not expected to see such an expression on Shadow's face. He started the engine and sped out of the parking lot.

Having worked with Shadow for so many years, Tails could easily decipher Shadow's mood based on the smallest expressions. When Shadow's lips were clenched tightly, he was not in the best of moods. But he was feeling fine after dinner, so how could there be such a change? Did something happen? All these things he wanted to ask, but knew he would just get shot a dirty look if he did. Even though he had his suspicions, he couldn't muster enough courage to ask about it. So he continued to drive instead.

"Shadow, did you want to go straight to the airport?"

Shadow remained quiet. Silence surrounded the car. Shadow had a cold personality that prevented others from getting too close, and at that moment he was emitting so much frost that the atmosphere in the care became unbearable. The fox continued to drive forward, no longer speaking, purely focusing on the road again. As the car moved from the second to the third lane, the weather changed also and it started to rain.

Tail tried to make small talk, "It's raining."

The rain fell harder onto the car. Shadow stayed quiet. Upon the second rejection, Tails gave up and kept his mouth shut. Just as the car was about to take the exit to the airport, Shadow looked up, "Stop the car."

His voice was barely audible, but Tails ear's picked it up and he slammed on his breaks, stopping the car. The assistant turned towards Shadow, "Is something wrong?"

Shadow stayed silent, both eyes staring out the window at two students in uniforms. Both the girl and the boy were running through the rain. They ended up hiding under a building. After about two minutes, they left in a cab, but Shadow's gaze remained glued to the spot they had been hiding at.

Tails was getting frustrated with the silence, "Shadow!" Shadow remained quiet, as though he was in a trance. His thoughts betrayed him as a memory from many years ago began to form in his head.

He and Amy had both ran to that same building for shelter on that day, and it too was raining heavily. That was the first time the two of them had met. They looked at each other when they realized that they were from the same school.

"Shadow?"

Shadow jumped, finally getting out of his thoughts. He turned his head slightly.

"Shadow, the plane is going to depart in two hours. We are going to need to check in."

Shadow took a deep breath, "You can leave at the nearest taxi stand."

"Huh!?" Tails asked suddenly.

"I'm not going to Rome today. Change our flights to tomorrow morning."

Tails nodded and pulled off to the side of the road. He stopped by a bus stop, and told Shadow to drive safe. Shadow hopped in the front and grabbed the steering wheel, and started driving the car towards the center of the city.


	5. Lusty Reflections

After the dinner, Cream drove Amy back to the home she and Shadow shared together. It was a nice district in the mountains. Every inch of land was highly valued. This was where Amy and Shadow lived. As they approached, Cream stopped her car in front of the villa. The rain had stopped after washing off the dirt from the sidewalks. The warm yellow street light hit the puddles, and rays of light reflected in all directions.

After saying bye to Cream, Amy reached into her bag for the key to the main door. After the rain, the flowers that were blooming in the front yard had all but fallen, leaving her with the smell of flower essence and rain.

Even though the villa was not far from the main gate, Amy strolled towards it slowly. If Shadow was back from Rome, would he be back tonight, or would he be staying elsewhere? After the incident three months ago, Amy was not able to face him. The very thought of meeting him would cause her to shudder. She stood at the door of the villa with eyes closed. She took deep breaths before retrieving her keys to open the door. Other than the two part time cleaners, there were no other long term helpers in the villa, causing it to be extremely lonely.

She stood at the entrance and scanned the living room. Confirming that she was the only one in the house, she slipped out of her shoes and started making her way upstairs. Only after making sure that upstairs was also empty, she finally started to relax. He was not in the villa currently, but would he be back? It was currently mid night. These past few months aside, Shadow would occasionally drop by the villa with no particular schedule but never later then one in the morning.

It was twelve in the morning right now, so if he was not back in another hour, it was highly likely that he would not be coming back tonight.

Hours passed and when the clock finally hit one in the morning, she relaxed even more. She had been stressed the entire day. Now she could do what she wanted without worry. She collapsed onto the sofa in exhaustion. It was one in the morning, he definitely wouldn't be coming back tonight.

* * *

Amy waited for herself to fully calm down before raising from the sofa. She took a set of clothes and headed up to the bathroom. She left the bath running while she removed her makeup in front of the vanity table. When she was about to squeeze toothpaste on her toothbrush, she heard footsteps outside and splashing water. She froze, but her hand tightened on the brush. She stood at the sink area for a long time before pushing the bathroom door open. Outside, Shadow was sitting on the sofa.

Amy had been feeling uneasy the whole night, not knowing if he was going to come back. Only when she saw daybreak did she finally calm down, knowing it was too late for him to come back. At this moment though, she was not prepared to face him as her anxiety crept back up.

When she had pushed the door open, Shadow turned his head slightly. She looked away and lowered her head. She knew that she would be ignored if she spoke to him. After a slight hesitation, she smiled up at him, "You're back?"

Shadow clenched his lips and looked away, ignoring her words, and lifted his hand to unbutton his suit. Amy was used to him ignoring her. But this time was different. After that event, she could sense how much colder he was to her.

"Well, my bath should be ready, I'll go now."

He ignored her as she left, tossing his suit onto the sofa before taking long strides out the door of the master bedroom. Only after a long while did Amy get done with her bath. When she opened the door to the main bedroom, she saw Shadow was dressed in his pajamas and sitting on the side of the bed that he usually sleeps on. He had both of his hands behind his head and his eyes were closed.

Amy averted her gaze before taking a peak of him in his sleep. She couldn't help but look at Shadow. She used to only steal quick peaks, but now he was asleep. After confirming that he didn't open his eyes, she admired him quietly from the view of her mirror. His face was imprinted into her mind. She could remember every detail of Shadow's face with her eyes closed. Ever since they met thirteen years ago, she had never stopped getting butterflies just by looking at his face.

With his eyes shut, Shadow seemed to be less cold, the frosty aura seemed to disappear also, and his features softened. Amy was so mesmerized that she accidentally dropped the facial cream she had been holding in her hands, and it hit the floor. Even if the crush was one sided, just being able to watch Shadow up close was enough to make her happy. If his eyes were open, Amy would have never dared to look at him like this. She fell into a trance. She impulsively lifted her hands, caressing his reflection in the mirror, starting from his eyes, then the bridge of his nose, and stopping on his lips. She remembered when she kissed those lips.

Even though it had been three months ago, the memory was still crystal clear. She remembered everything. Her heart race quickened, and just as she was about to sink into a daydream about him, his phone went off loudly. His eyebrows furrowed as he was annoyed by the disturbance. His eyes opened and she jumped from her side of the bed and bent down to retrieve the cream she had dropped earlier.


	6. Fuzzy barrier

Maybe because she was caught red handed, she didn't dare to look at Shadow through the mirror again. She sat straight up and applied her cream, forcing herself to not take sneak peeks at him. She tried to apply it really slowly, so even if Shadow was going to wake up, he would have fallen back asleep by the time Amy had finished. She applied it carefully, and when she was finished she stood up and took one last peak at Shadow in the mirror. He was still lying on the bed, but he was glued into his phone. As soon as she caught sight of him, Amy's cheeks flushed. She walked to the side of the room to switch off the light. When she did, she quietly tip toed to her side of the bed. Just before she laid down, she suddenly remembered something and rushed to the closet. She pulled out a human sized stuffed animal, and carried it over to the bed.

Shadow lifted his head, glaring at her. Amy's heart thumped inside her chest quickly, but she shoved the feeling aside as she placed the bear between her and Shadow, separating the two of them. When she was able to relax, she took a deep breath and slid under the sheets, trying to find a comfortable way to lay. She had bought the thing after they had gotten married and were forced to share the same bed.

The first time they shared a bed, she was stiff. But when she fell asleep, she would move around. One night, Amy had accidentally reached over and touched Shadow. He had pushed her away aggressively. The second night, she had done the same thing, and he had pushed her off the bed before leaving the room. After that night, she realized how much he hated her. Even if it wasn't intentional, he found her repulsive.

In order to prevent this from happening, she bought the stuffed animal the next day. And the next time they had to share the bed, she placed the thing between them to prevent any unintentional touches through the night. Amy closed her eyes and tries to force her mind to sleep, but she could hear and smell Shadow from where she lay. He was tapping on his phone, and with each tap the phone vibrated. After some time, Shadow locked his phone. The room slipped into complete silence. Amy wanted to move, but she didn't dare. Carefully, she turned to try and change into a more comfortable position. Shadow turned suddenly and glared down at her. She stiffened again. He seemed to be in a bad mood. He growled off an on as though something was frustrating him. Amy was unable to sleep also.

All of a sudden Shadow yanked the covers off the bed and strode off towards the balconey. All Amy could hear were the sounds of footsteps and the flicker of a lighter. This was the first time he had smoked in front of her since they had been married. She couldn't help but wonder when he started to smoke.

Shadow sucked in two long mouthfuls before glancing at Amy, who was laying silently. He turned his head and put the cigarette out, before walking back over to the bedside. This time when he laid down, he no longer tossed and turned. When his body relaxed and she could tell he had gone to sleep, she did too.

* * *

Amy didn't know how long she had slept before she felt someone yanked her up and awake. Amy forced her eyes open, waking up to Shadow who was sitting by the bear. She looked around, confused, "Shadow? What happened? Is something wrong?"

"Yes," He motioned to the fact that their legs were tangled, "You're trying to seduce me in my sleep again."

Amy lowered her head, surprised to see that she had stretched over the bear in her sleep to hold onto Shadow. She blushed as red as the streaks in his fur. She jumped back and tried to pull away but he pinned her to the bed. His eyes narrowed at her.

"What? You want to sell your body for a new role now that the previous one is over?"

Amy growled under her breath, surprising the both of them as she used all her might to push him off of her. She sat up, her emerald eyes glaring into his own, "It wasn't intentional."

"Not intentional?" He laughed, "Was it not you who took advantage of me when I was drunk? Your lies are almost as good as your ability to seduce people."

She threw a pillow at him in response, "I was drunk!" She rolled her eyes, and ignored the memory of when they had had sex. She did ask him if she could be his only woman, but she was intoxicated! "I had no intention of seducing you. I was asleep when I touched you. That's it."

"That better be true. You are the one who wanted to play this game Rose, and I will not let you use me for my benefits unless I want to use you first." He stood up and went to the bathroom, and Amy fell backwards on the bed, muttering something under her breath about how he was such a cold and heartless bastard.


	7. Sonic

Some time after Shadow had left, Amy slowly lifted her head, staring at the the side of the bed that he had been lying on. Moving the big teddy bear away, she buried her face into into his pillow, snuggling against the warmth he had left behind. Amy took in a deep breath greedily before caressing the blanket that still carried his warmth with her face, bitterness spreading through her heart.

Even if Shadow had said such cruel things, Amy still couldn't help being in love with him.

Last night at _'To the End of Time'_ banquet, Cream had been right. They were never like this in the past. Back then in school, Shadow was generally quite close to the guys, but he would avoid girls at all costs. And at that time, Amy was one of the few he would talk to. However, he talked to her not because she was special but because of Sonic.

Sonic's family and Amy's family were very close, and Amy had grown up with Sonic. Shadow was Sonic's half brother of the same father, which meant that Shadow was the legitimate son of the family. Not affected by the problems from the previous generation, Shadow and Sonic had a close relationship and got along well together. Amy spoke with Shadow through Sonic.

However, they were only on talking terms which primarily consisted of greetings such as "Hello" and "Good bye" .

Back when she was younger, without so much worries, she would always actively pursue her love. Even though she wasn't the kind of girl who could daringly confess to a guy, write love letters, or deliver chocolates at Valentine's, she would secretly look for him. Occasionally, in the school field or on the way home, she would catch up to Shadow, greeting him casually while suppressing her feelings. Shadow would either reply with a greeting or just nod his head, but that was enough to leave her basking in happiness.

More than once Amy had dreamed of a future with Shadow, but she could never muster enough courage to confess. As such, their lukewarm relationship persisted, while her feelings hidden deep within her heart grew each day. After she entered university, for a reason she did not know, Shadow started to treat her with hatred and disdain.

* * *

One day, Sonic accidentally told Amy that Shadow had someone he liked. So the next time she had bumped into Shadow, she couldn't help asking him who that girl was. Even though Shadow had shown signs of irritation to her several times before, it had never been like that day. Even after so many years, she could still distinctly remember that moment. With a forbidding expression, he snarled, "Why would you care who I like? It definitely isn't you!"

That was when she finally understood that Shadow must really hate her.

Even though she never found the reason for his hatred, from that day onwards, Amy started to avoid him. Just as she had told Cream, they stopped interacting. The few times when they had met, there wasn't much talking, and whenever they were forced to talk, his words were always hurtful. Because of her deep love for Shadow, Amy paid attention to his every word. Because of her deep love for him, he could easily hurt her vulnerable feelings.

She always thought that as long as they didn't interact much, the two of them would just part ways, becoming strangers. One day, though, fate dramatically forced them to become a couple. Only the heavens knew how happy she had been when she realized that they were going to get married. Even though she was fully aware that Shadow hated her, it still made her happy, even if others didn't know about their relationship.

It was never her intention for him to think that the role was her aim, but she had had no choice, she could only use a materialistic and cheap image to explain her actions. Because... it's like he said.

 _'No matter who he likes, it wouldn't be her.'_

Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes as she relived the moment he'd said that. After Shadow left, Amy didn't fall asleep till day the next few days, she didn't see or hear from him again.


	8. Back already

After about a week, Shadow's movie promotional news hit the entertainment magazines. That was when Amy found out that he was currently in Rome, filming. The days flew by calmly, and it was the end of April in the blink of an eye.

It was half a year since Amy had entered the industry, but she still remained unaccomplished, without much fame or popularity. Even if she had gotten a role in _'To the End of Time'_ because of Shadow, the production was still being edited and was not on air. Besides, the promotional videos were starred by the more popular actors. Hence, Amy remained unknown without any new casting offers or endorsements, wasting precious time.

Regardless, Cream continued being a responsible manager, tirelessly seeking out audition opportunities for new films. The entertainment industry was always complicated: good looks and capabilities may not necessarily land a role. Hence, for the past month, out of the eight auditions Amy had gone to, all ended in failure. And today, on the ninth audition, she cried as she failed again.

"Amy, it's already been a month and you haven't gotten a single decent role, not even as a side character that barely shows her face. At this rate, we're both going to starve." Cream cried. In contrast to Cream's irritation, Amy remained calm. She sat beside her friend, casually scrolling through her phone. In a nonchalant tone, she replied, "Haven't we been fine in the past when this happened?"

Just as Amy said that, she coincidentally stumbled upon "Shadow" who was the top hit for facebook. She stopped talking momentarily before continuing as though nothing had happened, "Even if I starve, I won't let you starve."

"I know that you'll still pay me even if you don't get a job, but Qiao Qiao, at this rate, you're going to deplete all the inheritance left by your parents," Cream remarked while sneaking looks at Qiao Anhao through the side mirror.

When she saw "Shadow" on Amy's phone screen, she continued, "Amy, why don't you try asking Shadow for another role? You should make full use of him, since he treats you so badly. Besides, his money has nothing to do with you, your parents left you early on in life and you were brought up by your uncle. Do you really intend to sever all ties with him and go back to your uncle?"

Cream was definitely not a bad person but rather a practical one. She meant no harm and was just thinking of Amy when she spoke. She was hoping that her friend could ride on Shadow's authority. It was not wrong for a woman to think for herself. It wasn't that Amy was too dignified for the idea, but rather Shadow's hatred was so strong that it didn't interest him to touch her.

She lowered her lashes, shielding her green eyes. She curved her lips slightly. "He's currently filming in Rome, don't you know? You don't expect me to sleep with him in Rome do you?"

Cream froze slightly.

Amy's brows furrowed and she asked, "What's wrong?"

"Amy, don't you know?"

"Know what?"

After a long while, Cream said, "Shadow came back from Rome two days ago! Didn't he come home?"

So he was back...

...and as his wife, she had no clue.

Amy froze, before smiling nonchalantly. "It's normal that he didn't come back... The longest I went without hearing from him was three months, and it's hardly been even half a month."

Cream didn't reply, silence engulfing the car. After a while, she couldn't help saying, "Amy, two days ago, I heard one of the board members from the entertainment company say that Shadow fainted and was rushed to the hospital while having a meeting on the day he was back."

Amy took a while to digest the information before replying with an "Oh".

"I also heard the board members say that even though he was burning with a high fever, he refused to let the doctors treat him, insisting on getting himself discharged. Ignoring all the persuasions, he drove away alone with his fever." Cream then couldn't help adding, " Do you think he'll be okay? He left the hospital without any treatment with a high fever."

Amy remained indifferent but in a corner where Cream couldn't see, her hands were tightly clenched, bunching up the edge of her shirt. Cream stared at the road ahead intently. After a long time, she asked again, "Amy, aren't you going to visit him?"

Amy was silent for a moment before shaking her head. "We agreed to not interfere in each other's businesses."

Cream was the one to reply with an "oh" this time and the car sunk into silence once again.

* * *

Even though Amy acted heartlessly in front of Cream, after her friend left, she hesitated a bit before driving out in her own car.

Sonic had once mentioned that Shadow had a private mansion in the northern side of the city on a mountain. Amy had also gathered from Sonic that the red hedgehog hated hospitals and would hide in that mansion whenever he was sick. At that time, Sonic was just randomly complaining since Shadow was not willing to receive treatment despite being very ill. Many times, the person complaining has no ill intention, but at that time, Amy had secretly shelved the information in her mind for future use.

Even though she wasn't sure if he would be at the mansion, Amy still decided to try her luck. She specifically stopped by a medical shop before going to the mansion. Since Amy wasn't sure of his condition, she just randomly picked some fever medicine. Amy had never been to the mansion, but she vaguely remembered Sonic mention that the mansion was at the peak of the mountain. Amy set the GPS, then started the engine and steered in that direction.

Thankfully, the mountain was not big and only had one mansion. Amy drove to the peak, and there stood a lonely mansion, which she figured would belong to Shadow. Amy started out at three in the afternoon and by the time she reached the mansion, it was already five in the evening. The mansion was both grand and beautiful. The gates of the mansion were tightly shut. Amy stopped her car before them and looked around. She spotted a fence that was rather low and went toward it, moving over it. She didn't have the keys to the mansion and no one received her when she knocked on the door. She peaked in through the windows but didn't catch a glimpse of Shadow at all. Circling the perimeter of the mansion, she located a half-open full-length window at the back of the mansion. She hesitated for a bit before opening it fully and entering the mansion.

Amy walked through the whole first floor but still could not find Shadow. She then climbed up to the second floor, her footsteps being the only sound. The mansion would have been deathly silent if not for her walking around. Amy continued looking through the second floor, and only found Shadow at the end of the hallway in a big bedroom. He was wearing a suit, and with his eyes shut, he lay silently on the bed. From afar, he seemed to be sound asleep.

Amy lifted her hand, knocking on the door, but looking at the bed, she saw that Shadow remained motionless, without any reaction. She furrowed her brows, taking large strides towards the bed.


	9. Feverish Kisses

Shadow was wearing a suit, and with his eyes shut, he lay silently on the bed. From afar, he seemed to be sound asleep. Amy lifted her hand, knocking on the door, but looking at the bed, she saw that Shadow remained motionless, without any reaction. She furrowed her brows, taking large strides towards the bed.

Once she was near the bed, she could clearly see Shadow sprawled across the bed, his body trembling lightly. Subconsciously, Amy reached out to touch his forehead. He was burning! Amy hurriedly dug out the fever medicine that she had bought earlier. Following the manual, she took out two pills and picked a bottle of mineral water from the edge of the bed. She then forced the pills into his mouth after supporting him up with much effort. At this point, Shadow was unconscious from the fever. It was not possible for him to drink the water and when Amy poured it into his mouth, he spat it all out.

She tried twice more, but he continued to spit it all out, and his temperature continued to rise to the point even the air surrounding him was warm.

Amy started panicking as he continued to refuse his medicine. Even if she were to call for a doctor, it would take a few hours for them to reach such a deserted area... Just then, Amy suddenly remembered how her mother would use an ice pack to cool her down when she had a fever. She placed the medicine and water onto the bedside table before going into the kitchen to get some ice cubes. Opening the refrigerator, all she found was chilled mineral water. After thinking for a moment, she took the mineral water bottle and returned back upstairs. She rinsed a towel in the cold water before wringing it dry and placing it on Shadow's forehead. With much difficulty, she removed his suit and unbuttoned his shirt. Taking another cold towel, she started wiping his body, hoping to cool him down.

The cooling towel was like an ice on coals, bringing comfort to Shadow. His tensed up brows began to relax as Amy continuously wiped his body, and even his trembling started to calm. Gradually, as he fell into deep sleep, his ragged breathing became calm, deep breaths. Seeing that his trembling had stopped, Amy sighed inwardly. She carefully tucked him in before kneeling beside the bed, guarding him. Her gaze couldn't help falling onto his face.

His lips were unnaturally white, his brows furrowed, and his face streaked with fatigue. But even in such a condition, he still managed to look mesmerizing.

By the time she resurfaced, the skies were already dark and the already silent place seemed even more quiet, even the bugs from the forest could be heard.

Amy used the light from her phone to find the light switch and flip it on, since it was so dark in the room. She then reached out to touch Shadow's forehead again. Sensing that his temperature had dropped slightly but was still too warm, she replaced the towel on his forehead with a freshly chilled one. She continued to guard him beside his bed, refusing to fall asleep. Every once in a while, she would replace the towel on his forehead, and once it was 11 pm, his temperature was no longer startling. Only then did Amy thoroughly relax. Sitting on the floor leaning against the bed, she fell asleep, no longer able to stay awake.

* * *

Amy woke up after a while. Instinctively, she reached out to feel Shadow's forehead and found that the fever was back again. She hurriedly prepared another chilled towel to put on his forehead, but this time, the towel did not have any effect. His temperature continued to raise, and he whimpered in pain as he slipped into unconsciousness.

The cold towel was only a temporary solution. To fully eradicate the fever, medicine was necessary. Deep into the night and in such a deserted place, Amy started to started to worry even more. She stared at Shadow for a while before seemingly making a decision. She stood up and took the medicine from the bedside table. She then stuffed it into Shadow's mouth before taking a big gulp of water. Slowly, she brought her mouth closer to Shadow, aiming for his lips.

As she lowered her head, his face magnified. She could clearly feel his breath. Her whole body tensed, and the two hands she had placed beside Shadow's head tightened their grips on the bed sheet. Her lips trembled as she slowly positioned next to Shadow's lips. Amy's cheeks turned red. Counting the incident three months ago, this was the second time their lips had touched. She stopped breathing, slowly transferring the water in her mouth over to Shadow before using her mouth to push the fever pills down his throat with the water. As she felt him swallow the pills and water, she quickly pushed herself away. Lifting her hands, she touched her lips, breathing deep as her heart thumped loudly.

Some time passed before Amy could get back to her senses from touching Shadow's lips. The man himself slept peacefully, probably due to the fever medicine. Amy secured the blanket around him and started reading the fever medicine manual. It stated that another pill should be taken if the fever persisted after four hours.

After four hours it would be three in the morning.

Amy wanted to set an alarm but was worried it would disturb Shadow's sleep, hence she decided to force herself to stay awake. While waiting, she reached out to touch his forehead several times and felt his body temperature fall. After enduring the four long hours, it was finally three in the morning. He was no longer burning but was still running a fever. Amy was worried that Shadow would start burning up once she fell asleep, so following the previous method, she fed him the medicine again. The previous time she fed him medicine, she had left his lips immediately, but this time, she lingered greedily on his lips.

She lingered only for a few seconds before frantically lifting her head, breaking the contact. But as soon as she pushed away, she suddenly felt someone pulling her head down. Green eyes met red ones. His voice was raspy as he called out her name.

"Rose."

Her lips were once again deeply entwined with Shadow's. His high fever was causing him to be delirious. He vaguely sensed that someone was taking care of him but yet it felt like a dream. Hazily, he felt someone stuff something into his mouth. It was bitter and a little dry and just as he was about to spit it out, he felt gentle, cushion like lips blocking his mouth. It was a familiar feeling, and it was nice. Amy froze in fear, her mind blank. By the time she came back to her senses, they were already deep in the kiss.


	10. What do you want?

Amy quietly predicted Shadow's next actions. Subconsciously, she turned her head to look at him and saw that he wore a dazed expression, his eyes full of lust. The memory from three months ago flashed appeared in Amy's head again. At that time, the incident had happened when Shadow was not in the right state of mind as he was right now, and when he woke up, he was so angry that he had wanted to strangle her to death.

A shiver ran through Amy's spine. She instinctively reached forward to push Shadow away. "Shadow, we can't! You'll be-"

Shadow frowned. Grabbing her hands, he forced her to keep still. Amy struggled desperately but was still not able to break free. When she was finally too tired to move, she stopped, giving up. He switched their positions, and pinned her to the bed. He clearly was not interested in sleeping with her, but the fever must be clouding his thoughts, for him to have pulled her close. If he were to find the same thing from three months ago to have happened again…

Amy stopped her thoughts, not daring to continue down that road. She bit down on her lip and then opened them to protest, but Shadow covered her lips with his own, and she ended up offering Shadow the liberty to do whatever he wanted.

* * *

Satisfied, Shadow drew Amy into his arms before falling back into a deep slumber. Amy was beyond tired, but yet she could not fall asleep. She wanted to flee from Shadow's arms before he woke up. Even though she wanted to stay, his arms did not belong around her. It was all a mistake.

Just as Amy was about to remove his arm from her waist, the corner of her eye caught sight of her phone. She hesitated slightly before reaching for it. Opening the camera app, she took a photo. In the photo, she was in his arms, and he was in deep sleep. Even though he was hugging her, it was not his true intention. Still, she longed to be there. With a photo, Amy could secretly relish the moment, privately admire him, trying to convince herself that maybe Shadow truly wanted to fall asleep with her in his arms.

Amy saved the photo before putting the phone aside. She tilted her head, looking at the man beside her. Even asleep, he still managed to give off a lonely aura as though he really hated human interactions. Amy stared at Shadow silently for a long time before reaching out to caress his face. A shock ran through her fingertips, rapidly diving into her heart. Her heart pounded uncontrollably. If Shadow was awake, she would have never touched him so openly.

Amy fell into a trance. Physically, he was just a reach away, and yet, the two of them were worlds apart.

She started to think about her feelings for Shadow. It really was quite incredible for her to sustain a one sided love in silence for thirteen years. From the thirteen year old naive teenager to the twenty-six year old grown woman right now, Amy spent her best years devoted to him. There was no hesitation, no holding back, she had given him all her love. As she thought about the painful one sided relationship, tears welled up in her eyes and streamed down uncontrollably. Very softly, in a voice barely audible, she said to Shadow,

"Shadow the hedgehog, do you know? I... I love you."

Slowly, she took a long deep breath, her lashes lowered. She then silently reached out to pull Shadow's arms away and left the bed. As soon as she left his arms, she felt her body go cold. Her clothes had been torn beyond repair. She walked over to Shadow's closet, but there were no women clothes. She searched around and settled for a simple shirt.

Shadow was much taller than her so the shirt was long enough to be a dress.

Amy didn't dare to go near the bed, afraid that the same thing might repeat itself. She stayed on the sofa in the living room, far away from him and that room. Unable to stay awake any longer in the second half of the night, Amy dozed off sleepily.

* * *

Due to the bad sleeping position, she was awake the minute the sun hit her face. Rubbing her eyes, she looked towards the bed. Amy was still asleep. Amy walked to the bed. She reached out with her hand, preparing to touch Shadow's forehead to feel whether his fever had subsided, but before she reached him, she felt someone roughly grabbing onto her arm.

Stunned, she looked down, and her eyes met his.

Just having awoken from deep sleep, Shadow was in a daze. He stared at Amy for about two seconds before lowering his gaze to his hand that was clutching her wrist. Frowning, he tried to think of why she would reach out to touch him. Sleepily, he muttered coldly, "Rose, what the hell are you doing in my room, let alone my house?" He looked around doubtfully, confirming that he was indeed in the bedroom at the mansion. He returned his gaze back to Amy before asking straight forwardly, "How did you find out about this place?" The minute he finished asking, he caught sight of the shirt that she was wearing. He frowned, realizing that under the blanket, he was not wearing anything. Memories of the two of them deeply entwined on the bed flashed, and he returned his gaze to Amy once again. Kiss marks littered her pink fur that was still visible from the shirt.

Shadow exerted more strength with the hand he had on Amy's arm. "Did you..."

That two words were enough to put Amy in a frenzy. "I heard that you were sick so I came to give you some medicine..."

Even though Shadow had been in a daze, he could still vaguely make out what had happened. The bitter substance in his mouth was medicine and she had kissed him to stop him from spitting it out... Shadow's lips moved and his cold expression warmed slightly. A smile appeared on his face.

Amy flushed, "I... I was just coming to give you medicine, but then you grabbed me and started kissing me and I tried to pull away..."

Before Amy could finish her sentence, her arm was roughly pulled and she fell into Shadows warm tuff of white chest fur.. Shocked by his strength, she staggered, but looked up at him. Before she could stabilize herself, his haughty voice sounded, "What do you want?"

The suddenness of those four words left Amy speechless. Unable to process them, she looked at him in confusion.

Shadow saw her gaze and, reading her expression, continued, "Previously, you climbed into my bed for a role in _'To the End of Time'_. This time, I slept with you, what do you want in return?"


	11. Dont make me regret this

Amy felt her heart sink as her green eyes lowered to the floor. She had to admit, this was her fault. She had come up with the excuse of a role in the first place, so she guessed that this was to be expected. She wanted him to love her for her heart, but now he only saw her as a means of getting favors. Her lips clenched tightly and she refused to speak. He raised a brow at her, "Why are you being so silent? Wasn't this all just for more benefits?"

 _'Yet, she said she didn't want to sleep with me...'_

He lifted her chin up with his hand, and stared into her eyes. His eyes searched them for a while before he found his answer, "You weren't looking for any benefits were you..."

Amy didn't expect him to figure it out so quickly. She nuzzled her cheek into his hand and sighed, "Two days ago I went in for an audition for the second female lead in _'Alluring Times'_ but failed." Amy was once again pushing her feelings away and using her body as an excuse. "If you really want to reward me, give me the second lead role."

Shadow's eyes narrowed and his loving hand pulled away from her face. He grabbed her hand and started pulling her out of the bathroom. She stumbled forward as he pulled her, "Shadow, what are you-" she was cut off however, as he pulled her down the stairs of the mansion. He reached the door and opened it, throwing it open and throwing her outside. Then he slammed the door quickly. Amy blinked, she had not expected him to throw her out. She looked down, realizing she was still wearing his shirt.

 _'All of my things are upstairs...'_

The door opened again, and her things were thrown on the ground, and the door slammed shut again. She growled and picked up her things quickly, "The nerve of that hedgehog." She turned and made her way back to her car, heading back to the villa.

* * *

Shadow returned to his room and went to grab another pack of cigarettes by the bedside table when he noticed the medicine. He took the medicine and dumped it in the trash bin before he lit a cigarette. He walked towards the window and took deep puffs. He watched Amy drive off and his body calmed down. He put the cigarette out in the ashtray and stood at the window for a while before returning to his bed. He went to lay down and grabbed his phone. He dialed a number quickly and put it up to his ear, waiting a few seconds before the other line picked up.

 _"Hello? Mr. Shadow?"_

"Leave the second female lead role in the _'Alluring Times'_ empty, I have someone who can fill that role." He bit his lip, "Also, clear my schedule. I want to act as the second lead male role in the same production.

 _"Of course. Is something wrong?"_

"Nothing is wrong. After acting in the lead role for so long, second lead might be a good change of pace."

 _"Okay."_

"Okay. That's it for now." Shadow closed his phone and glared at the wall.

"You want to play games Rose? Then lets play."

* * *

Amy had drove straight to the villa from the mansion. Since she had no job or fame, she had spent the past few days cooped up inside the villa by herself for four days. One night, Amy tossed and turned and was unable to fall asleep. She took her phone and looked at the time, it was midnight. She sighed and looked up at the ceiling with a bored look.

 _'Shadow probably won't be back again tonight.'_

If he came back, she would feel anxious. But if he didn't, she would feel disappointed. Amy stood from the bed and walked over to the balcony. Her face resembled that of a lonely person. Even though they were married, he must not consider her much of a wife if he left her to guard their room alone for five months. She jumped out of her thoughts as she heard her phone ringing. She ran back to the bedroom and opened up the phone, "Hello?"

 _"Next week, you will officially enter the team as the second female lead for 'Alluring times'."_

Her breath caught in her throat, "Shadow?"

 _"Don't make me regret my decision."_

"T-Thank you, Shadow." Amy blushed.

 _"No need to thank me."_ For some reason, it sounded like he was smirking. _"You earned it with your body. It was definitely a worthy trade."_

Amy's mouth dropped, and she felt like hissing and yelling at him all at once. "I'm glad you find it worth while, Shadow."

There was a click as he had hung up, and she clenched the phone in her hand tightly.


	12. Ceremony

Amy had been trying to figure out Shadow's intentions after he had hung up on her on the phone. So much had happened. She and him agreed to use her body as a transaction tool, but when they did he would get so angry about it, even going as far as to throw her out of his mansion with just a shirt on. Did he think she was over estimating her body? If he had no intention of sleeping with her from the beginning, how did she even manage to land this role? If he hadn't had a fever, he wouldn't have wanted to touch her...

Right?

After all, she's the only woman in the world who could be despised after being slept with. Also, she must also be the only wife in the world to not have her husband's phone number, even after being married to him for five months. She forced her lips to curl upwards, a tense smile appearing on her lips. _Alluring Times_ was a highly anticipated film that Shadow's company had been spending millions on. It was sure to be a successful show.

* * *

On the first day, there was a ceremony. All the famous A listers staring in the show were there, with the exception of Amy. Even a small side role in the show was an A lister. The only person they were waiting on was the second male lead. The shooting would begin on the second day, the first day was just for the opening ceremony so all the actors could get to know each other before recording. Amy had been running late and showed up right before it started. She had already done her research on all the crew members and other actors before showing up. They had all entered the industry long before her. She walked up to a few people and introduced herself. The producer of _'Alluring Times'_ was seated in the front row. She had gone to outstretch her arm towards him when someone beat her to it,

"Evening, Mr. Robotnik."

A women's voice, high and nasally, came from in front of her. Amy tilted her head at her, recognizing the actress to be Sally Acorn, a famous A lister. Sally was smiling from beside her as she shook Mr. Robotnik's hand. He smiled at her,

"Ms. Acorn, it's been a long time since our last film."

"I hope it'll be a pleasant working experience." Sally said as her tail swayed from side to side and she batted her lashes. After Amy introduced herself to the producer, Cream pulled Amy to the side where no one could hear.

"Amy, Sally was the original second lead for this show. After you took her spot, she was bumped down to third lead. She is someone who remembers those who got in her way. She's a wolf in sheep's clothing, especially in front of the higher ups. Please be careful." Amy nodded, and pushed that information into her brain.

Before Cream could continue, Sally was walking her way over to them. She stopped in front of the pair, smiling up at Amy, "Amy, long time no see."

Amy knew Sally quite well. She was the fastest leading actress in the industry, just below the famous Rouge the bat. Even though they all came from the same company, Amy had never really talked to Sally. Which made sense, since Sally was haughty and didn't take much interest in Amy at all.

Sally's acting skills broke through, as she greeted Amy warmly as though they were best friends who hadn't seen each other in months. Amy took Cream's information into consideration, and realized that Sally must have realized that Amy was the one who took her role. Even if Sally hated her, the squirrel would still have to act as if they had a close relationship. Well, if Sally could put on a facade, so could Amy.

"Sally, you're much prettier than the last time I saw you!" Amy threw her hands around the squirrels neck, pulling her into a hug. Sally's vein throbbed, but she smiled warmly still.

"Oh no, Amy, it is you who has blossomed! I heard you have the second female lead now, you must have some pretty great acting skills." Sally smirked inwardly, as Amy's eyes averted her gaze.

"Oh, I don't know about that. I guess you'll just have to see them during the rehearsals!"

Producer Robotnik had been watching from afar at the two. He was delighted by Amy's words. The entertainment industry had beautiful women all over the place. One usually had to pay attention to the ones who stick out. But looking at the pink hedgehog in front of him, he could see that she stood out. She was a beautiful and natural hedgehog, and she gave off a fresh and calm vibe.

More people had started to arrive, and the girls went to their table. Robotnik purposely seated himself next to Amy, pretending as if he didn't know where he was sitting. After finding their seats, Amy realized there were four empty seats in front of her. Who could they belong to? She looked around for a bit before the doors opened, and in walked three people. Rouge, the female lead, the director Knuckles, and Silver, the male lead.

Silver was the only male to become popular in the industry despite Shadow's monopoly over the company. If it hadn't been for Shadow's attempts to support him, Silver would have had no chance in gaining fame. As for Rouge, she was the female version of Shadow. She was the entertainment industry goddess and the best female lead in the country. Knuckles looked over at producer Robotnik, "Sorry we're late, there was a bit of traffic." Silver nodded, taking a seat in front of Cream, with Rouge sitting to his right. She winked at everyone staring at her. An assistant came up to producer Robotnik, asking if they were ready to eat.

"We're still waiting on one more person." Amy eyed the empty seat in front of her. Whoever it was going to be would sit across from her. Amy quietly whispered to Cream, "Who isn't here yet?" The rabbit started counting heads in forms of leads, then replied, "Second male lead."

"The first male lead is here though, why waste time waiting for the second one?" Amy whispered back. She was supposed to have a lot of scenes with this second male lead, but she wouldn't tolerate tardiness from him!

Robotnik stood up suddenly as the doors opened again. Everyone's eyes turned and were glued to the door, as Shadow walked through the entrance and towards the seating area. Amy paled while Robotnik smiled enthusiastically, "Mr. Shadow, you came! Come and sit down."

Amy closed her eyes and let her hearing senses take over, listening to the gossip around her form.

 _"Shadow is going to be in this production?!"_

 _"This is big news, no wonder it was so hidden!"_

 _"Social media is going to go crazy."_

Even though he started off as an actor, Shadow was currently the CEO of the company. Everyone in the room had a contract under his company. Amy suddenly realized why the producer wanted to wait on the second male lead. As everyone stood to greet him, Amy remained seated, watching from afar. Cream stood up, pulling Amy up with her, "Pull yourself together Amy, you can do this." Amy let out a shaky breath and nodded. Shadow didn't acknowledge anyone as he made his way to his seat right in front of Amy. She sat down as did everyone else. Everyone who worked with him was used to his cold expression. The producer motioned for the waiter to start bringing around menus. As the producer was the first to receive one, he immediately slid it over to Shadow.

"Mr. Shadow, what would you like to eat?"

"Anything." Shadow replied, without taking his eyes off his phone. The producer nodded and started ordering the most expensive dishes off the menu for the hedgehog, and then motioned for everyone else to start ordering as well. Rouge opened her menu and ordered her two favorite dishes. Silver nodded and said something in agreement with her and ordered one of his own. When Amy got her menu, she ordered something small, as she didn't have a big appetite. Shadow glanced up at her from his seat.

"Ms. Rose is it?" Shadow asked, as if he didn't know her, "You should make sure you eat enough. You'll need all the energy you can get if you're going to keep up with me."

His words made everyone at the table freeze. Amy smiled outwardly, but on the inside she was cussing him out. "Mr. Shadow, I look forward to working with you. I hope you will not misunderstand, as I ate before I got here. But I'm sure I'll have no problem keeping up with this body of mine, no matter how much energy I have." She gave him another sweet smile, but only he could tell how sinister her words were.

Robotnik saw the sudden change in atmosphere and jumped suddenly, "Ah, well, how about drinks?" He turned and ordered many bottles of whiskey for the group. From then on, the two married hedgehogs were silent. Shadow only slightly nodded when someone approached to greet him, and Amy went back to conversing with Cream. Rouge saw Amy and leaned over a bit.

"You're the new second female lead. Amy right? How are you, I'm Rouge." The white bat out stretched her hand to Amy, and the two exchanged pleasantries. Silver also leaned across the table, a smirk and a wink in the pink hedgehogs direction.

"I'm Silver, but you probably already knew that. How couldn't you know this face?" Silver ran a hand through his quills, trying to impress the beautiful pink rose, and she giggled in response. A low growl from next to Silver broke the group out of their thoughts as they looked to see Shadow glaring at Silver with narrowed red eyes.

The group went back to eating as they ignored the sudden change in temperature at the table. Halfway through the evening, producer Robotnik stood up and grabbed everyone's attention, "I almost forgot, everyone here is used to working with one another. But I would like to introduce our new female lead..." He looked down at Amy and smiled,

"Why dont you introduce yourself?"


	13. Phone Numbers

**Here I will answer a few things that might be confusing people**

 **Sonic: You will learn more about Sonic in future chapters**

 **"Why are they treating each other so coldly even though they are married?" : This also has to do with Sonic, which you will find out in later chapters**

 **Let's get into the chapter!**

* * *

The producers introduction was sudden, but Amy put a brave look on her face as she stood up and addressed them all, "Hello, I am Amelia Rose, or Amy for short. I'm a hedgehog who likes to read and cook in my spare time. I look forward to working with all of you." As she sat back down, the producer and a few others clapped, while some gave her looks of doubt. Producer Robotnik sat down and looked at Shadow.

"Mr. Shadow, Ms. Rose will be working with you as the second female lead."

Shadow's eyes shifted to Amy, and she bit her bottom lip in response. He had to bite back a growl. The two just stared at each other, as though they were communicating through their minds. the producer put a hand on Amy's shoulder, "Don't just sit there, introduce yourself. He's someone you don't want to be enemies with."

Amy smiled up at Shadow at hearing this, even though she fully knew already that was true, "I look forward to working with you, Mr. Shadow."

He grumbled in response and lifted his drink up to his lips as he looked away from her, getting into a conversation about something with Silver. Amy let out a sigh of relief and turned to Cream, who gave her a reassuring smile. The table froze as they heard a shrill and nasally voice talking loudly.

 _"Amy must have really good luck to work with Shadow, even though she's a newbie."_

The words were harmless to Amy, and she fought the urge to roll her eyes at Sally's comment. However, it was true. As a newbie she was able to work with Shadow and steal Sally's role from her. It wasn't luck at all, and she knew it. But now everyone was looking at her, assuming she had gotten her role in other ways other than auditioning. She could feel everyone looking at her now, and it was like she could hear their thoughts. It was true, she did exchange her body for this role. But she would never tell anyone that. Instead, she tried to act surprised.

The whispers got louder as she flushed in embarrassment, and Cream tried to find a way to change the topic. Shadow looked up at Amy and then stood up, causing everyone to stop talking. He looked at her and gave her a soft smile. "Ms. Rose, there has always been a saying in the industry. Luck is a form of your capability." As he said this, many people started to take steps back, saying if Shadow said she got the role fairly, then she must have. His words also made it seem like Sally was not good enough for the role, and that's why it was handed to Amy. Amy lifted her lips into a smile, returning his gaze with one of her own.

"Thank you for having confidence in my abilities. I'll work hard with everyone."

Amy's sweetness and calm nature in the situation left people in amazement. Everyone cheered for her and lifted their drinks, and then the conversation ended. On the other side of the room, Sally sat at her table, growling and muttering furiously.

 _'Damn that pink hedgehog! If it wasn't for her, I would be the one getting to act with Shadow!'_

* * *

Amy had gone to the bathroom after the dinner was over to wash up while Cream went to get the car. When she was finished, she waited at the entrance for Cream to return with the vehicle. She waited, and then saw black and red out of the corner of her eye. She turned from him. He would probably just ignore her as if she was invisible like he always did. She attempted to walk out of the hotel, when a car pulled up outside the entrance. Producer Robotnik rolled down his window, "Ms. Rose!"

Amy tilted her head in confusion, "Um, Mr. Producer?"

He gave her a funny look, "Why are you out here alone? Where is your car? Do you need a lift?"

"Thank you, but my manager is on her way with the car." Amy smiled at him politely.

"Oh..." Professor Robotnik dug around in his shirt pocket, before handing Amy his phone, "Let's exchange numbers. In case something ever happens and you need someone to be there." Amy put a hand to her chest.

"Producer, that is awful considerate of you." She typed her number into his phone and gave it back to him. He said his goodbye and waved to her as he drove off. When she turned around she ran smack dab into Shadow's chest. She rubbed her nose and glared up at him, "Ow."

Indeed, it would seem that instead of avoiding her, he went directly to her. He glared at her phone with such hate in his eyes. She shielded her phone by hiding it behind her back, "Erm, thank's for standing up for me earlier in the hall. It was very kind of you."

His gaze went from her phone to her face. "You're thinking too much." He spoke suddenly. "I just didn't want your bad reputation to affect me, that's why I said what I said." He was lying through his teeth but she couldn't tell as she glared at him. She growled lowly under her breath, thankful at that moment that Cream had pulled up to the front with the car.

"Sorry Amy," Cream said as she rushed out, "There was a car accident and I had to take a detour." She stopped as she saw the two glaring at each other, "Um, is this a bad time?"

Amy grabbed Cream's hand, pulling her away from the ebony hedgehog, "Your timing couldn't be better."

* * *

Amy sat in the back seat, glaring out the window. As Cream drove, she eyed Amy from the rear mirror. "It was nice of Mr. Shadow to help you out like that. I didn't actually expect him to anything."

Amy ignored the rabbit, not wanting to continue the conversation anymore.

"Maybe he is still holding onto past ties."

Amy scoffed, "Past ties, yeah right. He just didn't want me to make him look bad."

"Did he tell you that?" Cream's voice was rising with anger, "How dare he."

"Yeah..." Amy yawned before slowly slipping into a slumber, "How dare he..."


	14. Need to eat more

Amy didn't have any scenes for the first two days of filming. But she went to practices anyway to get to know the other actors and their characters. On the first day, Shadow didn't show up since he and Amy didn't have any scenes. On the second day, he had one scene. After that, he sat down in a chair and watched the rest of the days filming. Due to him coming the second day, the day after that many actors came to observe him even if they weren't shooting scenes. However, due to Shadow's cold shoulder, everyone seemed to keep their distance, sticking to watching him from afar.

During lunch time, he went with the others to eat. He ate silently while the rest of the crew chattered away. He ate and then went to the dressing room to get prepared for his scene with Rouge. She had started filming in the morning and was all ready to shoot by lunch. After he was done, Rouge's make up artist came to do a touch up before her take.

Shadow and Rouge had both debuted at the same time and acted as couples in multiple movies and drama's. They both held good looks that matched each other, even winning the best on screen couple title one year at an awards show. They had worked together so long and knew each others working style. Even though the two weren't a couple this time, the filming went smoothly. Halfway through the scene, the director cut for a break to let the actors touch up their make up. When they were done, they resumed their scene. The people watching felt like it wasn't acting, but reality. Eventually the scene ended, and Knuckles yelled, "Cut!"

They had been filming in a hotel, so naturally the entire crew was booked rooms since the hotel cut off service to other customers for the shooting. But since there wasn't enough room for all of them, the more top named celebrities got their own room, while the low celebs like Amy shared a room with her manager. After resting in their room for a while, the hedgehog and rabbit decided to head downstairs to the buffet table. After they took their plates, they noticed producer Robotnik waving to them to sit at a table with him and a few other celebrities.

"Ms. Rose, why don't you come sit with us?"

Robotnik was sitting with Knuckles, Rouge, Silver, and Shadow. The two went to the table and Cream purposely sat in the seat that was not next to Shadow, forcing Amy to have to sit next to her secret husband. Shadow chewed his food wordlessly as she sat next to him. Rouge smiled at Amy, "How are you holding up?"

"I'm doing okay. It's been exciting just watching people get into character. It's getting me pumped for my scenes." Amy stabbed her food and ate slowly. The way she did it went unnoticed by everyone except the red eyed hedgehog. Knuckles continued his conversation about how filming would go tomorrow. When he was done, Silver picked up his chopsticks, pointing them at Amy,

"So pinky, have you memorized your lines for tomorrow yet?" He winked at her and she giggled again. Shadow tightened his fist.

"Yes, I've memorized them all. Thanks for asking." She said with a blush. Rouge pointed to her food,

"Is that all you're gonna eat?"

Amy nodded and Shadow gave her a sharp glare, "Filming can be tough. You need to eat more."

Amy bit her lip as Robotnik ordered one more serving of food for Amy.

"SO, Amy, tell me about yourself." said Silver, "Where are you from? What school did you go to?"

Amy looked nervously at Shadow's plate, knowing if she looked at him it would give away her secret. "I'm um, from here. I'm, I was uh... actually, I can't remember the name of the school I went to." She laughed halfheartedly as she rubbed the back of her pink head. She continued to eat, hoping to end the conversation. Rouge and Silver finished their meals and headed off to their rooms. Once they left, Amy put down her chopsticks, "Man, I'm so full."

Robotnik looked at Amy seriously, "Amy, do you have any other endorsements other than filming?" Amy shook her head no in reply, and he continued, "How would you like to model for a friend of mine? He runs a European cosmetic brand. I find that your looks and personality would easily land you a spot on their team."

Amy's jaw dropped, and Shadow clenched his chop sticks, looking to the side at the pink female.

"Mr Robotnik, do you think that's okay? After all I am still new to this and don't have much training."

"Why wouldn't you be capable? Mr. Shadow has already commended you on your abilities, so why not give it a shot?"

Amy smiled at his persistence, "All right sir, I shall take on your request. Thank you very much."

Before any other words were said, Shadow slammed his chop sticks on the table, stood up, and gave Robotnik a look, "Can we talk?"

Everyone gave each other scared eyes, but Robotnik nodded and stood, following Shadow, but not before giving Amy a friendly pat on the back of her bare shoulder.

* * *

Amy gave Knuckles a strange look as the two walked away. The red echidna shrugged.

"I should get going too. It was nice meeting you Ms. Rose." He stood up and walked off. After a few minutes, Amy looked at Cream. Cream looked at Amy.

"Something is up with Shadow."

"Huh?"

"Amy," she held her friends shoulder, "Shadow was acting... almost possessive of you."

"What? Are you kidding? He is not possessive of me." Amy stood up, "We should get going." She went to leave but noticed a script was left at the table. She picked it up and read the name.

"Whose is that Amy?"

"It's Shadows. He must have left it." She held the paper to her chest, "I should return it to him." They walked back to the room silently, and only then when the two were alone in the room and no one could hear, did Amy pull out her phone to call Shadow. After a few moments, he picked up,

"What is it Rose?"

Her heart skipped a beat at the nick name, "You left your script at the table during dinner."

It was silent for a moment before Shadow told her to come to his room, and then the line went dead. Amy sighed and turned to give Cream a look.

"I'm going to go return this to him. If i'm not back soon, then don't worry." Cream nodded and watched Amy walk out the door.


	15. Markings

Shadow's room was a presidential suite on the top floor. Amy felt her heart rate quicken as she rode the elevator to the top floor. As she walked out of the elevator towards Shadow's room, she heart two maids talking about Shadow in a nearby room.

 _"Mr Shadow was in a bad mood tonight. He was nit picking everything in the movie."_

 _"I heard he just injured producer Robotnik's arm with hot coffee!"_

 _"I don't want to go in that room, you're braver than me, if he requests anymore service, you go do it."_

As Amy passed the room, she grew more uneasy and anxious. She was standing in front of his door moments later and pressed the doorbell. She waited a few moments and after no response, she knocked quietly. The door opened suddenly on its own and she suddenly pushed forward, closing the door behind her quickly. The living room was empty, and just as Amy was about to just put the script down, he walked out from the bathroom with shorts on his waist. His face had a darkened expression. Maybe it was because of the fight he had just got into with Robotnik?

Amy stood where she was, holding the script out to him. "Here is your script."

His eyes fell over her, and she could see he wasn't going to make any effort to reach out and grab it from her. Amy growled and walked into the room, putting the script down on a table, "Fine, I'll put it here then." After he still said nothing, she put her nose in the air, "Well, I've done what I came here to do. Goodbye."

She turned to leave the room, heading straight to the door. Shadow's heart jumped out of his chest as he moved forward, grabbing her wrist to prevent her from leaving. She turned in shock, "Shadow-" He pulled her with him as he dragged her to his room. Then he pulled her into the bathroom, pulling her top off as he turned the cold shower on and pushed her into the tub. He glared at the part of her shoulder that Robotnik had touched, no, soiled. He took the shower head and aimed for that one spot. Amy's pink fur was wet and damp and she shivered in the cold water, "S-Shadow..."

He threw the shower to the ground, stopping as he kept her pinned to the wall. His eyes were lowered, his eyes lusted over. Amy scrunched her face up, "Shadow, I don't understand what you're trying to do."

Amy and Shadow were both soaking wet from the shower. Their remaining clothes still dripping wet. Aside from the water that trickled in the tub, there was complete silence. Shadow bent his head down, opened his mouth, and bit hard where Robotnik had touched her. She yelped and clung to him as his fangs broke the skin in her fur. Her body trembled as she felt bits of blood and saliva roll off her shoulder. It hurt. It hurt! Tears fell from her eyes and into his neck. He froze when they met his skin and he looked up at her. He seemed to realize what he had done, and lowered his head in shame. Then, slowly, he licked her wound with his tongue. Soon her tears and her cries turned into soft moans. He darted up and kissed Amy's lips. Her lips were soft, and tasted of strawberries. His lips tasted of blood. Amy was confused, usually, when they were intimate, he was gentle... but this. This was not normal. She closed her eyes, letting him have her way with her as he hoisted her legs over his waist and pushed into her.

* * *

After a while, the two simmered down as they had finished. Amy was panting heavily, and so was he. Amy felt weak as she laid her head on the side of the tub. Shadow looked at Amy, averted his eyes, and then looked back at her again. There was a huge bruise on her shoulder. He growled at himself as he cursed under his breath. He wrapped a towel around his waist and walked out of the bathroom. Amy watched him leave, her heart breaking. She had no energy to move, and instead laid under the water as it continued running, and drifted off into a deep sleep.

While she slept, Shadow had changed clothes and was about to leave the room. He paused at the door, and thought about glancing at the bathroom, but decided against it and walked out.

* * *

When Amy woke up an hour later, the water was still running and she was alone. Her body ached as she struggled to sit up. She managed to walk into the room and saw that no one was there. Shadow had left her all alone. She sat up in alarm. She told Cream that she wouldn't be long, but it had been over an hour! She ran to the phone, hoping Cream hadn't already called the crew.

 _"A-Amy?"_

"Cream..."

 _"Oh my gosh, thank goodness you're safe! Where have you been?"_

"Can you come find me? I'm in the presidential suite, please bring me a change of clothes."

Cream had hung up quickly and was at the door within five minutes. Amy opened the door and let Cream in. She had wide eyes as she looked at the bruise on Amy's shoulder, "Amy! Who did that to you? Don't tell me that bastard-"

"It's okay Cream... I just want to go." Amy looked like she didn't want to talk about it, and Cream shut her mouth, not pushing the thought any further. She pushed Amy's clothes into her hands, "All right Amy, but hurry up before he comes back."

Amy nodded and changed into the pajamas she had been brought before grabbing her other clothes and walking back to her room with Cream. Luckily it was late and everyone was sleeping so no one noticed Cream and Amy walking back from there. When they got back to their room, Amy sighed and fell onto her bed tiredly.

"Amy, we need to talk about what happened."

"Cream, I don't want to talk about it. I just want to sleep." Amy's eyes looked like they had the worst night of their life. There were tear stains on her cheeks and she looked broken. Cream sighed and nodded, "Okay Amy. If you don't want to talk about it, I won't force you to." Amy smiled at her friend and gave her a quiet thank you before going to sleep in her bed.


	16. Amy's Origin

**I just wanted to say sorry for not updating. I was sick for most of the holidays but I'm feeling back up to health. So, let's get right back into it.**

* * *

The next morning, Amy opened her eyes to see Cream looking over her worriedly. She tried to sit up but the pain rushed to her head. Amy held onto her head, crying out. She had a splitting headache, stuffed nose, and couldn't breathe. She tried to think about how she could have gotten to this state, when she remembered the cold shower with Shadow the night before.

"Amy, you're really pale." Cream stood up frantically, "I'm going to tell the producer to push your scene back. You can't possibly work today in your state."

Amy shook her head and sat up, "No, I can't do that. There are already a lot of people on the crew who think I have slept my way through the producer to get here. Today's my first day shooting, I have to be there. I can't afford to not go-" Before she could finish her eyes fell shut and she fell backwards. Cream rushed over in a panic, "Amy!"

There was a knock at the door. As Amy lay almost lifeless in the bed, Cream ran over to the door to answer it. She opened the door and came face to face with Shadow. Her eyes went from surprised to angry as she glared at him. He glared back at her. "Where is Amy?" Cream had to bite her lip, he didn't know that she knew anything.

"Amy suddenly caught a cold in the middle of the night. Sorry, we're going to have to delay her shooting. That isn't a problem is it?" Cream asks, her eyes suddenly turning back to their bright and happy selves. Shadow shook his head.

"Not at all. I just came to inform her that our shoot was cancelled anyway." He puts a hand on the door, pushing it open slightly as he glances at the pink hedgehog on the bed. He frowns and reaches into the brief case on his back. He pulls out the medicine Amy had given him before when she broke into his mansion, "Give this to her. It should help with her fever." With that, he turned and walked away. Cream glared at his retreating figure and shut her door. Then she walked over to poor Amy a glass of water. She sat the hedgehog up and assisted her in taking the medicine. Amy smirked down at the medicine bottle,

"Did Shadow give this to you?"

"He did..."

"Hm."

* * *

 _There was a smaller pink hedgehog. Small figure, shorter hair, smaller legs, smaller breasts. She looked to be about ten. Yes. this was Amy Rose. At this age, all she wanted was happiness. She had a caring and loving mother and father. But on the year she turned ten, that all changed. It was a Thursday night. Her father was helping her with math homework, and her mother was preparing some clothes for her to wear to school the next day. Even though she was young, Amy acted older for her age. She would push her parents out the door so they wouldn't be late for their meetings, and told them to not speed, and to be careful._

 _That was the last time they saw her. They had kissed her forehead and ruffled her quills before telling her they loved her and said goodbye, driving off._

 _Amy's mother had always made sure to make Amy as independent as she could for her age. She would always make Amy wash her clothes after a bath. And each time Amy would come up with an excuse to avoid it. But on this day, when they left the house, she had this feeling to do it. So she did. She couldn't help smiling, thinking of how proud her mother would be when she returned._

 _The next day, she had not received a call from her parents. Instead, her Uncle showed up and asked her if she would like to stay with them for a while. At that age, Amy smiled and nodded, not reading the hurt in her Uncle's eyes. She even packed her own luggage and stayed with him for several months. Her uncle had a daughter also who was her age, so it wasn't too lonely. Amy and Blaze spent every waking moment together._

 _But after a long time, Amy was beginning to miss her parents. She finally asked her aunt and uncle where they were, and they told her that her parent's were overseas. She believe them._

 _A little while after, she and Blaze were fighting over a toy._

 _"Your parents are dead. They are never coming back."_

 _Little Amy didn't know what 'death' meant. But she knew what it meant when someone said 'never coming back.' Her eyes filled up with tears instantly as she ran to her uncle and auntie, demanding an explanation. They once again assured her that her parents were over seas, and not dead. That night, Blaze was punished and was sent to spend an entire day in the study room with no breaks. Amy truly believed her aunt and uncle, but after many more months, Amy started asking again. She kept pestering and pestering, and they would never give her a straight answer._

 _So she stopped asking._


	17. Amy's Origin II

_Amy's aunt and uncle had always treated her well. She had everything Blaze had, if not more. Even though she had everything, she didn't feel secure without her parents._

 _To an outsider, Amy was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She had beautiful clothes and even a phone, something girls her age only longed for and saw in magazines. Since she wasn't her aunt and uncle's biological daughter, no one treated her as harshly as they did Blaze. She was able to get away with anything and everything. Even if both she and Blaze would get into trouble, Blaze would be the only one to get punished. When Amy started an argument, Blaze is the one who got punished._

 _The difference in the way they treated her and Blaze made her realize the distance between them. She would always be an outsider since that car accident on that fateful day. So from then on, she swore to never fight with Blaze again. She started doing what her mother would do for her to Blaze. She would lay out her clothes every night, start her baths, and bring her some tea when she was studying or doing work._

 _Amy thought her innocence would last forever._

 _One day in middle school, she and her table mate had classroom duty. They cleaned up the room but it took hours. When they were done they had walked outside, only to see a lightning bolt strike and flash across the sky. Amy mentally screamed as she took off for the bus stop as it started to pour. She rushed into the bus stop, gasping for breath, sighing in relief. Just then, someone else ran in as well. Her eyes widened at the sight of a black hedgehog, red streaks kissing his fur. He had a bag slung over one shoulder and headphones in. She took in his uniform and noticed he was wearing the same uniform as her._

 _Amy was usually considered a tall girl, tallest in her class. But this guy was so much taller than her. She looked away nervously. Since they didn't know each other, it was only natural they didn't say anything to each other._

 _When the rain calmed down, he readjusted the strap on his shoulder. He glanced over at her and she did the same to him, and that was when she finally took in his features. Red eyes, black fur. wild quills._

 _It was in that moment she realized she had met the man of her dreams._

 _He looked away and walked out of the shelter, showing no emotion on his face. Right as he left the bus arrived. Amy walked out and onto the bus steps. She looked out her window for the mysterious hedgehog, but he was no where to be found._

* * *

 _The third year of Amy's middle school year was critical. Amy had looked for that hedgehog everyday since that day, but could never find him. She hadn't even met him when she graduated as a second year. It was just dumb luck that when she had run into him again she was with her friend Sonic. That was how she had gotten to meet the boy from her dreams again, through the blue blur._

 _Unlike Amy, Shadow seemed to have forgotten her from the rainy incident. This angered Amy greatly, seeing as how she was the only pink female hedgehog in the city._

 _"Shadow, this is Amy. Amy, this is Shadow."_

 _When Sonic had introduced the two of them, Shadow simply hmphed at her, coldly acknowledging her. Amy stared back at him with a blank expression also._

 _That night, Amy was studying, but she couldn't focus. Absentmindedly, she had wrote his name in her journal with a bunch of hearts, "Shadow..." He was engraved not only in her notebook, but in her heart and in her mind._

* * *

 _When they reached high school, the classes were separated according to grades. Shadow and Sonic had great grades and we're in first class, while Blaze and Amy had mediocre grades and were put in third class. Sonic and Amy were still good friends and often hung out with each other after school, which led to her bumping into Shadow more. With each meeting, she would pay more attention to him. When she would lay on her bed, she would be thinking more of him._

 _Eventually, she got bolder. She would make excuses to leave the classroom to go to the bathroom, and when she did she would walk passed the first class to take sneak peaks of the ebony hedgehog. At first glance, her heart would start thumping uncontrollably. When he wasn't around, she felt depressed. After school, she would also drag her friends outside. To them, they would think she was just there to get some exercise. To her, it was all just an excuse to see Shadow play ball._

 _After another year, Amy found out the next classes would be separated by grades once again. She also figured out Shadow was going to pursue a science major, so she followed and did so also. For the first time in her life, Amy studied very hard._

* * *

 _Knowing she would be in the same class as him pushed Amy to keep going on strong. She made such an improvement in her grades that the teachers began to name her the pink horse. She was extremely happy._

 _Until she found out Shadow didn't do very well, and ended up getting bumped down to third class with Blaze. Her heart broke into many pieces. But she was determined to not give up. All her friends were happy to see her doing well, but she could only force a smile, pretending it was all okay. After that day had ended, she had cried for a long time._

 _The girls in the third class were vastly different from the girls from the first class. Third class girls didn't care about their studies and if they liked someone, they would go all out. Every time Amy passed by the third class, she would see Shadow being surrounded by a group of girls who seemed to be trying to get his attention. Even though he would always wear the same cold expression, ignoring their presence, Amy couldn't help feeling jealous. Bitterness would often eat at her the whole day, making her moody._

 _A few times, Amy saw Shadow talking to another girl outside the school gates after and sometimes before school. She would feel a deep jealousy in the pit of her stomach, but she pushed it down. The girl was the third class's student president. She felt as though she was being stabbed in the heart. She walked past them without a word, and thought about the few memories they did share._

 _In year two, there was one time when she had hurt so badly from her monthly cycle that her face went pale as a sheet, and she had to use the wall as a support, not able to continue walking. He had then supported her all the way to the nurse's office._

 _Even today, she could still distinctly remember the events of that day. She lay on the bed in the nurse's office and he had sat on the chair next to the window reading a book. They didn't speak at all but the warmth she felt was enough. She had felt as though she owned the world at that moment._

 _But in the end, they still made small talk. That was because the girl she had seen talking to Shadow several times before coincidentally came into the nurse's office to buy plasters and then came over to initiate a conversation._


	18. Amy's Origin III

_When the girl had left the nurse's office, Amy had turned onto her side. She stuttered almost, "So, you and the student president are pretty close now. Are you and Tikal together?"_

 _She was happy to hear the scoff that followed after, "No, we're both in charge of an upcoming event soon." Even though her back was turned to him, Shadow looked up to look at her, curious as to why she would ask him such a question._

 _"Oh." Amy couldn't help but smile into the pillow as he said this. Shadow gave a little smile of his own, unknown to her, and returned to reading his back. The nurse returned shortly after. Because Amy's periods were so painful, the woman had to charge her for the pain killers. Amy sighed and sat up. She reached into her bag to retrieve her wallet when Shadow pulled out a thirty dollar bill, handing it to the woman._

 _"Here, this should be more than enough to cover the cost." He spoke with no emotion in his voice or eyes. Amy panicked._

 _"Oh no, wait." Amy rushed to his side, pulling a 50 from her wallet and holding it out to him, "Take this please. It's to thank you for helping me get here."_

 _Shadow put a hand over hers, shaking his head, "No, I don't mind. Keep your money, okay?" He turned away from her and took large strides out the door._

* * *

 _The second time Amy had studied hard was after a picnic. At that time, Sonic and the group were barbecuing outdoors. They had invited a lot of friends and Shadow was included._

 _That day, the weather was good and the skies were clear. Everyone laid down on the grass after the meal to cloud gaze. Somehow the topic shifted to their ambitions and their dream universities. Shadow was the only one who remained silent the entire time. On the way back, Amy heard Sonic asking Shadow, "Bro, what about you? Which university do you want to go to?"_

 _"Mobian university."_

 _Mobian university was globally acclaimed and one had to be the top of the cohort to enter. Amy dared not even dream of entering it._

 _She was not sure which university she wanted to enter, but when someone asked her if she wanted to enter a university in California, she nodded. She didn't have any preference, but since California was a pretty city, she decided that it would be nice to enter a university there._

* * *

 _The only reason Amy liked California was because the city of San Francisco was pretty. But to her, no city could overshadow Shadow. Even if she knew that Shadow and Mobian University were both unattainable dreams, she still wanted to go ahead and fight for it._

 _That day, she set a new goal in life and that was to enter Mobian University to become Shadow's schoolmate, and hopefully more._

 _It was much more difficult to enter Mobian University than it was to enter the first class. Students from the whole country were vying for a slot there. It was a school that parents could only dream their child would enter. A person's ability was indeed infinite and her obsession for Shadow was so insane that as long as it was an opportunity to get close to him, she would go all out._

 _From that day till the end of the exams, she immersed herself in her studies. Other than studying, sleeping, eating, and secretly thinking of Shadow which she then turned into motivation, she didn't do anything else._

 _Her hard work was rewarded and she was repaid with amazing results. She was just one mark below Shadow and that result easily got her into Mobian University._

 _Amy began to search for Shadow's results after finding hers. He had gotten about ten marks more than Sonic. T_ _he instance she found out that they all passed the cut off for Mobian university, she started crying tears of joy._ _Her dreams were finally going to come true._

 _On a hot summer day, Amy received her acceptance letter. During an early autumn day, she happily took her acceptance letter to Mobian university. Knowing that Sonic had also entered A university, she invited him for a drink after completing the administrative procedures._

 _Causally she asked, "Where's Shadow? Isn't he with you?"_

 _Sonic bit into his chili dog, muttering, "My brother? He didn't come to Mobian university in San Fran, he's in Los Angeles." He paused for a while before continuing, "During the holidays, he was scouted to be a celebrity and decided to go there instead."_

 _Can one know how it feels to have the whole world crushing down on you? E_ _ven after so many years, Amy would still feel that same feeling every time she dreamed of that moment. It felt as though a ray of lighting struck her, electrifying her whole soul._ _She had used all of herself to work towards Mobian university, but he had gone to LA to act?_

 _Wise people once said that fate was what brought people together. She and Shadow were probably two people born without fate._

 _Even if she used up her entire soul to chase after him, to love him, she won't be able to get even a bit of it back..._

 _Youth, seemingly beautiful, was filled with sorrow._

 _Tears started to well up in her eyes, streaming down her face._


	19. Amy's Origin IV

_"Many times, sorrow not known to others could only be released in dreams as though it was engraved in the heart and no matter how hard you ignored it, it would explode at the slightest touch, erupting into million pieces, inflicting an unbearable and endless pain."_

* * *

 _Blaze had always been an average student with mediocre grades and had entered a local university in Beverly Hills. Even though Amy and Blaze weren't biological sisters, they still came from the same ancestral home, and ever since Amy's parents died in a car accident, she had been living in the same house as Blaze, forming a tie akin to that of sisters._

 _Blaze left her hometown for Beverly Hills and would often call Amy and Sonic, inviting them to come over. After multiple invites, Amy and Sonic finally caved, flying over during winter. When they arrived, Blaze smiled and suggested they drive over over to LA for the day. Sonix had no objections and, since Shadow was there, Amy obviously didn't have any objections either. The three of them then headed for LA._

 _Sonic and Shadow were biological brothers with different mothers but they had always been close. With just a phone call, Sonic managed to successfully invite Shadow out. They stayed for four days and Shadow accompanied them through all of it. After spending four days and twelve meals together, Amy managed to get closer to Shadow in those few days than in the four years they had spent as schoolmates._

 _On the last day in LA, they visited the shopping mall. As girls, Amy and Blaze wanted to buy all the pretty things there and, since they had always been close to Sonic, who was rich, they spent his money mercilessly._

 _Spending a few thousand on a simple item was a usual occurrence for the three of them, but Shadow grew increasingly silent, the light in his eyes dimming as he saw them spending money so freely. In the end, he threw an excuse before going to the washroom. Sitting in one of the tiny cubicle, he took long deep puffs from his cigarette, quickly finishing the whole box he had in his pocket. Just then, they called to ask where he was._

 _In LA, Amy added Shadow on facebook and would often find an excuse to talk to him when she returned back to San Fran. Though they were only making small talk, the conversation never seemed to end._

 _As long as their hearts were close, distance was not an issue._

* * *

 _At that time, there was already a one hour train ride connecting Beverly Hills and LA. Hence, Amy would often visit Blaze in Beverly Hills when she could, and together they would make their way over to LA, stating that it was more fun there than Beverly Hills. Once she was in LA, she would log into her messenger to ask Shadow for a meal jokingly._

 _Every time, Shadow would accept her request, taking her and Blaze out to eat._

 _By the fourth year of her university, Amy had accumulated a thick stack of plane tickets from San Fran to Beverly Hills, train tickets from Beverly Hills to LA, and plane tickets from LA back to San Fran._

 _Each stack of tickets represented a meeting she had had with Shadow. Actually, t_ _he stack minus three would be the accurate representation for the number of meetings they had had. There were three times he could not make it to meet her._

 _The first time, she had went over to Beverley Hills as usual, but since she hadn't informed Blaze prior to her arrival, the purple cat had gone to France with her friends, leaving Amy alone in Beverly Hills._

 _Unfamiliar with Beverly Hills, she took the train down to LA. This was the first time she had gone down alone. Previously, she would always have the company of Sonic or Blaze. Throughout the entire train ride, she was trying to figure out an excuse to meet Shadow._

 _In the end, before she could think of an excuse, an excuse came to her._ _Due to her absent-mindedness, she realized only after exiting the train station that her wallet was missing._ _At that time, she was penniless and in an unfamiliar place. Instead of feeling upset, she felt glad that someone had stolen her wallet. Amy_ _left Shadow a message and he asked for her location, telling her to stay there. She obeyed, standing at the exact same spot for nearly three hours until she saw Shadow rush over._

 _Shadow had rushed over clothed in an ancient costume. It was an extremely worn and dirty costume that attracted everyone's attention. Amy looked away, almost as if she was about to be embarrassed to be seen with him._ _Only after they entered a cab did she realize that Shadow in the middle of filming when he received her text._

 _Since Amy had lost her wallet, her identification card was missing as well. Without an ID, she wasn't able to check into a hotel. Hence, Shadow brought her to his rented apartment near his school._ _It was an old apartment that was relatively small. The interior was simple with just some basic furniture: a bed, a desk with an old computer on top, an open style kitchen, and a washroom._ _Once they reached the apartment, Shadow took a shower and changed into a fresh set of clothes, then signaled for Amy to shower before leaving with his wallet._

 _When she came out of from the shower, Shadow had already returned with a bag of food he had placed on the desk._


	20. It would never be you

_After dinner, Shadow changed the bed sheets before preparing to return to his hostel._ _Amy reached forward to grab his hand._ _Thinking that she was afraid, Shadow remained silent. He starred into her green eyes and she did the same to his ruby red ones. After a while, he went to his computer desk and sat down. Amy_ _lay on the bed playing with her phone._ _The apartment was silent besides the buzzing emitted by the computer._

 _Time flew and it was 11 pm in the blink of an eye. Shadow laid out a mattress and laid down on the floor, while Amy occupied the bed. The blanket covering her had a light fragrance, the exact same scent that Shadow carried. Subconsciously, the scent flustered her, and her heart beat rapidly._ _That night was a quiet night. They looked into the darkness, enjoying the silence as their thoughts ran. Listening to each other's breathing, they gradually sunk into a deep sleep._

 _Halfway through the night, it started to pour. Thunder struck and lighting flashed, but the ferocious weather did nothing to dampen Amy's spirits. She remained asleep with a hint of a smile. T_ _he next day, Amy went to apply for a temporary ID. Shadow helped her buy a plane ticket and sent her to the airport personally._ _Before she had entered the customs, Shadow took out his wallet, forcing a few hundred dollar bills into her hand. Despite usually speaking little, he had told her in a whispered tone to take care of herself and to call him once she reached San Francisco._

 _At that time, they were getting increasingly closer as though a relationship would blossom anytime soon._

 _But somehow, from that day onwards, everything changed drastically._

 _The first thing Amy did after returning to San Francisco was to make a new ID and the minute she received it, she booked a ticket to Beverly Hills. She dragged Blaze with her to LA this time, and even called Shadow up._

 _Shadow said that he was filming and wasn't able to rush over. When she asked if they could visit him where he was filming, he told her that they wouldn't let her in._

 _At that time, she didn't think much, believing that he was indeed busy. She was just a little disappointed and left two days later._

 _One month later, she visited LA again, but Shadow said he was filming again._ _After another half a month, she went to LA yet again and Shadow used the same filming excuse again._

 _Shadow was getting increasingly popular at that time, after doing well in a few memorable roles._ _Some of Amy's classmates were even starting to fantasize about him._ _Females were naturally sensitive species and Amy had already sensed that Shadow was avoiding her, but she had no idea why._

 _She thought that it was probably her love that was causing her random thoughts._

 _Hence, after learning that he had someone he liked, she used a good friend's tone to ask him about it._

* * *

Amy didn't dare to continue remembering, tears pouring down her cheeks furiously. That line was like a nightmare.

 _"No matter who I like, it would never be you."_

Until that moment, from her middle school till the fourth year of her university, she had carried a torch for him for eight years. For those eight long years, she had loved him, worked hard for him, did silly things for him, dreamed of him, thought about him, and had dedicated her entire soul and life to him. But this guy, the guy she had given eight precious years to had told her that no matter who he liked, it would never be her.

Her one sided love, the feelings she had been harboring died before even sprouting. From that day onwards, Amy's love for him had to become a secret. She started by trying to avoid him and gradually not meeting him completely. Occasionally, she would hear about him from Sonic. She knew that he was doing very well in the industry, she knew that he had won the best screen actor award yet again and had even bought the company...

Even if Sonic didn't tell her, she could still find out easily. Shadow was famous globally and every little detail about his life would become a headliner, causing a sensation. Afterwards, she would subconsciously try to avoid him, but everywhere she went, she could see posters of him from the endorsements he was doing.

She was clearly aware that he did not like her, and yet, every time she saw his posters, she would stare at them mesmerized, trying to spot any changes compared to the face in her memory.

As she recalled those times, Amy started really crying, unable to control her sorrow. Her tears then woke her up from her dream. In a daze, she opened her eyes to the familiar bedroom. She stared at the wall for a long while before realizing that it had actually been a dream and her pillow was wet from her tears.

Amy continued to stare at the wall. It was already 12 am... When she returned home in the afternoon, she had fallen asleep after taking her medicine.

Amy left her bed, heading to the bathroom to wash her face. Taking her medicine, she left the room and walked to the kitchen for a glass of water.

After swallowing her medicine, she took out some frozen dumplings from the freezer. She heated them up before sitting down alone at the dining table to eat her food.

While she was eating, she heard a car outside. She turned to the window and saw a car driving in. Her grip on the chopsticks tightened unconsciously. She lowered her head and stared at the plate of dumplings. Soon, the door creaked open and Shadow entered.


	21. Our First Kiss

When Shadow walked in the door, it was quiet and awkward. He and Amy held eye contact for a minute, before his eyes went to look at the plate of under cooked dumplings on her plate. His eyes narrowed and he walked passed her and into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and freezer and his eye brows furrowed. There was hardly anything in here. Just dumplings and water bottles filled the appliance. When he turned around to question her, she was no longer there. Just a table with a plate still full of dumplings that had been untouched. He growled and made his way upstairs, surprised to see Amy already in bed, holding the bear. He huffed and made his way to the bathroom as he hopped into the shower for a few minutes. Amy blushed under the covers, excitement over taking her as she realized Shadow was actually staying the night this time.

When he exited the shower a few minutes later, he had gone over to his desk to blow dry his quills. In the reflection of his vanity mirror, he saw her hide under the covers more and cuddle the bear tighter. He growled and started blow drying faster, and when his quills were dry he turned it off. He reached over and grabbed some papers and then threw them on the bed, along with a pen. Amy looked up curiously at him, "Huh? What is this?" She took the papers and read them carefully.

"Shadow, this is a cosmetic endorsement contract."

"Mhm."

Amy put the papers back down and gave him a curious look, "For the top luxury cosmetic brand in the company..." She trailed off, just staring at the documents in her lap. He gave an irritated look,

"What? Do you not want a cosmetic endorsement?"

"I do but..." Her eyes looked to the side of the room and she bit her bottom lip, "Why are you giving me this?"

"It's your reward for... last night." He coughed awkwardly. She glared at him, throwing the papers at him and turning her back to him. His jaw dropped and he growled at her, "Rose, sign the damn papers."

With a gulp and a shiver running down her spine, she turned and signed the papers reluctantly. He smirked, and took the contract after she had finished signing it.  
"Listen here, you should take the time to read this when you are free. There are a lot of rules when it comes to this kind of thing, you can't endorse other products, fashions, etc." He turned and pointed to the bear, "This for starters. Get rid of it."

Amy's eyes widened, "But, I'm not endorsing the bear if I'm keeping it at my home, surely? Besides, I keep it to separate us so you don't get mad if I accidentally touch you in your sleep..." She blushes and he fights the urge to just screw it all and pin her to the bed and take her again. He crossed his arms, and tried to retort, but she did have a point, sort of. He shut his mouth, "Fine." Then he stormed off and left her with her thoughts. She sighed as she fell into a deep slumber and the lights faded out...

* * *

 _~Amy's thoughts on how she ended up married to Shadow~_

 _Amy walked into the hospital quickly. She had heard Sonic was in a terrible car accident but that he should have been fine. There were rumors that he had a few scars but that didn't stop her from going to see a friend. After being let into the area, Amy made a bee line for the room that Sonic was staying in. The hospital rooms were huge. They were almost like hotel rooms. They had a kitchen, a bedroom, and a living room with a bathroom. Amy knocked on the door quietly, and was surprised when it was Shadow's mom that opened the door._

 _"Miss Rose, good to see you, quickly come in." She pulled in Amy hurriedly, hoping none of the paparazzi followed her in, before closing the door. Amy turned to say something but saw a bit of blue fur and smiled as she jumped at Sonic, "Sonic! You're okay! I thought something awful had happened." She was genuinely surprised when she felt the person hug her tighter, brushing their nose against her neck, "Well, nothing bad happened to me mostly because I'm not Sonic."_

 _Amy looked up quickly. The fur was blue yes, but so much darker. The eyes also had bits of red in it. She stared closer at the features before she realized it was the ebony hedgehog with some blue dye in his fur and some green contacts. "Shadow? Why do you look like Sonic?"_

 _"Amy dear, I'm going to give you the short story. Sonic is in a coma, and they don't know when he'll wake up. People started to think he was dead, so Shadow is pretending to be him until he recovers or wakes up."_

 _Amy nods understandingly, "Okay, so I assume you're keeping this a secret but why tell me?" Shadow bites his lip, looking away from the pink hedgehog as he let his mother continue explaining._

 _"Well, Sonic was severely beaten up by the accident. Hes going to have a few scars, and because of that no one thinks anyone will want to marry him. So that's where you come into play... We need you to marry Shadow and pretend to be Sonic's wife, so that the investors won't pull out their stocks for the company. They see it as no heir, no need to be investing."_

 _Amy bit her lip, turning to look at the red eyed friend of hers. How strange that the last thing he had said to her was "I'll never like you" and yet now here he was, having his family beg her to marry him. Still, she found the situation to be terrible, and felt sympathy for them all, mostly Sonic. She let out a long sigh,_

 _"Fine, I agree. But on a few conditions."_

 _Shadow jumped and turned to her, "What?"  
_

 _"No one knows about the wedding, we keep this very quiet. I don't want to get pulled into paparazzi stuff this early in life right now. And no being intimate with each other. You don't touch me, I won't touch you."_

 _Shadow nearly froze for a second but nodded, "You've got yourself a deal."_


	22. Flowers

**For those who havent noticed already, I updated the authors note with chapter 21 so make sure you read chapter 21 before you read this chapter! 3**

* * *

Amy's eyes shot open as she awoke from her dream. She shot her head up and could hear Shadow talking with someone downstairs. She quickly rushed down the stairs as fast as she could to see Shadow standing in the kitchen talking with Madam Vanilla. She was the care taker of the mansion, a rabbit who was tall but quiet. She only came to clean the house in the mornings since Shadow really didn't like people being in the mansion when he wasn't there. Vanilla looked at the pink hedgehog descending the stairs, "Ah, Mrs. Amy, did you have a nice nap?"

"I did, thank you Madam Vanilla." Amy smiled at her and stood next to Shadow's side instinctively. "What's going on?" Shadow wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her close to him to reassure her nothing bad was happening. He looked at her as he adjusted his tie, getting ready for work.

"Since we'll both be working I have asked her to stay here to look after the house all day. I have to go run an errand, but she's already finished making breakfast if you want to go ahead and eat." He nodded to Vanilla and let his arm leave Amy as he walked out of the house. Amy tilted her head curiously as she watched him leave. She shrugged and looked to Vanilla, "Thank you madam."

"No problem, Mrs. Amy. I have already restocked your fridge. I was also told that you came under a cold recently so I made you some soup for later if you need it." Amy smiled at Vanilla and gave her much thanks, and told her she was going to go for a walk for some fresh air. Madam Vanilla gave her an umbrella, telling her to take it to shield herself from the suns harmful rays. Amy nodded and took the umbrella with her as she took a walk out in the back garden.

A little while later the door opened and Madam Vanilla went to the main room, "Mrs. Amy, back so soon?" But instead of Amy, Shadow stood there. He gave the rabbit a curious look, "Where did Rose go?"

"Oh, pardon me, Mr. Shadow. She went for a walk in the garden." His eyes glanced towards the back door and Vanilla smiled, "Shall I call for Mrs. Amy?"

"No, that's fine. Let her enjoy herself." He sighed and made his way upstairs to his room. Vanilla smiled sadly, "What such an odd couple..."

* * *

Shadow had gotten into a new change of clothes and rushed back downstairs, as he was heading to a business meeting. He stopped and turned to Vanilla before leaving, "How has Rose's health been the past few days?"

"Hm?" Vanilla looked deep in thought, "She is recovering well, and she looked to be in high spirits today." Before she could say more, Shadow nodded and headed out to his car. He started it and started pulling out of the driveway. He stopped and hit his brakes however as he caught glance of Amy's pink quills in the garden. She had been picking flowers. He watched her call to Madam Vanilla to fetch a vase, and as she waited she cut the extra parts of the stems off of the flowers, bringing them up to her nose to smell them with a smile on her face.

Shadow smiled a bit, and turned out of the driveway to go to work.


	23. Acting! Take one!

Once Amy and Shadow returned to set, their scenes were the first ones to be shot. The weather was great on their first day of filming, everyone had gathered at the set earlier than usual. When Amy came out of wardrobe and make up Shadow was already on set ready and waiting for her. He was slouched on the set on a couch prop. His clothes were messy, quills in shambles, surrounded by beer bottles. Everyone's eyes were on him, but when Amy entered in a wine red sultry dress, everyone's eyes were on her. Producer Robotnik jumped up when he saw her and immediately went to inform Shadow. The black hedgehog's eyes widened a bit when she walked in, and he had to force himself to look away.

In the script, the second female lead and second male lead had been friends since they were young kids. To him, she was just a sister, to her, he was the love of her life. So on the day he was supposed to marry the woman he loved, she had harmed him so that she could not be together with her. Today they were going to film the scene where she went to comfort him, when the girl and love of his life was preparing to leave the country.

Producer robotnik shouted, "Action!" and the cameras settled on Shadow's drunk state. His acting was spot on. His expression was cold and yet so full of emotion. His character choked on some beer, as tears streamed down his face. All the female actresses in the room fawned and gawked over him. Amy stood on the side of the set watching, when Sally came and stood next to her.

"It would be a shame if you disappointed Shadow's impeccable acting..." She whispered tauntingly in the pink hedgehogs ear. Amy rolled her eyes at the squirrel's comment.

"It's true Amy, if you can't keep up with Shadow's acting, you'll just look out of place." With that, the squirrel sauntered off. Amy growled and Cream, who had been standing nearby, patted her friend on the back encouragingly. Amy stood calmly with her head held high. She would show her. Producer Robotnik motioned for Amy's entrance, and it was like a completely different person as Amy entered.

 _She walks over and snatches the bottle out of his hand, shouting his name. His character didn't respond, as a drunk who was lifeless on the floor drinking hopelessly. The second female lead lifts the second male lead up onto the couch with much difficulty. She picks up a wet towel from the coffee table, and begins dabbing his face. As she wiped his face, her face looks into his saddened one. Her eyes dim with sadness and pain. She traces his face lightly, and says in a mesmerized and pained tone, "Why can't I be the one you love?" Tears well up in her eyes, and as they stream down her face, she lays her face into his chest, gripping pieces of his messy shirt in her hands._

The filming for the scene ended, but everyone remained silent with eyes widened. The moment Amy's fingers had caressed his face, Shadow's whole body stiffened. His fists had tightened behind his body. When her head had settled on his chest, he could his heart running a marathon. Were those tears real? Shadow's eyes opened, and he looked into her eyes. Her expression was too real. He could have swore those were her true feelings. How did she act that out so realistically? He gulped, and his fingers lifted uncontrollably to wipe her tears away.

"CUT!"

That word snapped Amy out of her trance as she stood up quickly and walked away from Shadow, going back to stand by her manager. Shadow remained where he was, his hand frozen in the air and eyes widened. He looked at her finally, trying to detect anymore emotion but could sense none. Amy had sensed he was staring at her intently and thought he was mad, so she apologized. He sighed and stood up, as he headed to the resting area to breathe.

* * *

When Shadow left, Knuckles excitedly turned to Amy, "Amy, that acting was amazing! I've only seen Rouge work with him that well and it's taken her years to get used to his acting! But you're a natural!"

Amy blushed and muttered a thank you as she excused herself to touch up on her makeup. As she made her way to the make up room, she could hear people praising her.

 _"For a newbie that was amazing!"_

 _"No wonder Mr. Shadow praised her at dinner the other night!"_

 _"So she's not just a pretty face! She also has talent."_

Amy gave Sally a smirk as she walked by her. The squirrels tail fur stood on end.

 _'I've been in Rouge's shadow for years now, I can't let this pink hedgehog move in and steal my spotlight!'_ Sally thought, _'I thought this was my chance at becoming the next best actress... but now Amy is in the way.'_

Sally's teeth clenched, "I won't let anyone get in my way." The squirrel turned and walked out.


	24. Pool Incidents

"Good work everyone!" Knuckles shouted as he stood next to Robotnik, "For the next scene, the clothes are different. So will the Crew please assist the actors for their next scenes."

Amy's outfit was already prepared and ready for her in the dressing room. Cream had it all ready for her with a smile, "Let's do good again, Amy." As they stepped into the dressing room to have her change, a figure ran out, running into Amy. It was a small girl, who looked up and apologized quickly, then ran out. Amy gave Cream a look and shrugged, as she changed into her clothes and her heels. Amy waited on set where she sat beside a pool and under a parasol. Knuckles shouted to everyone on the set,

"Alright! In this scene the second male lead finds out the second female lead was the one who destroyed his relationship, so now he is coming to confront her. Let's start the scene!" Amy nodded and Knuckles went to his chair with Robotnik and shouted action!

 _She pulls out a book, smiling as she read by the pool and under the parasol. Her ears perk up and she looks up to see a sports car speeding down the hill. Realizing it is his car, she smiles widely. The car comes to a complete stop and Shadow jumps out of the car, storming towards her. Amy stands up with the book in her hand, and reaches out to hug him when he grabs her book and throws it to the ground, anger on his face. She returns one with a look of hurt, confusion, and guilt. He starts screaming at her, and tears stream down her face as she screams back. He tells her he never wants to see her again and turns to leave. In a panic, Amy reaches out to grab his arm but he roughly pushes her away from him._

Amy wasn't able to regain her footing and began to fall backwards. Shadow actually hadn't used a lot of strength, but just acted like he did. Likewise, Amy had intended to let go of his hand at the right time. She heard a snap and as she fell backwards into the pool, the realization of her heel breaking hit her. She was consumed by the pool water and let out a startled scream.

The pool was two meters deep as Amy entered backwards head first. Everyone was too stunned to react. Shadow had pushed Amy away, but after taking two steps and hearing the sound of splashing water, turned quickly to see that she had fallen into the pool. His heart quickened when he remembered that Amy couldn't swim. It was also the middle of the night, so the water was cold and she had just recovered from a cold. Shadow panicked and paled as he quickly jumped in after her.

Amy reached the bottom of the pool and felt her vision fading. She tried to call out for help but as she did she felt herself losing more breath. Her eyes almost shut until she felt an arm hook around her waist. The moment Shadow dragged Amy out of the water, he pressed into her abdomen. She spat out some water, trying to come back to her senses, her eyes remaining closed. Everything had happened so fast, Amy couldn't remember what had happened except that her heel broke. There was no other reason except for someone trying to sabotage her. Her heel breaking on flat ground? That shouldn't have happened.

 _'You want a show Sally Acorn? I'll give you one.'_

Amy remained still, with eyes closed, seeming almost unconscious. Anxiety and fear flashed in Shadow's eyes as he dismissed the people watching, taking Amy's lips in his in front of everyone on set, as he gave her CPR.

 _Her lashes tremble slightly as she looks up at him. "I did it because I like you, but I promise to never do it again. Can you forgive me?"_

Falling into the water was not an accident, but part of her act? He took a deep breath and after making sure she was alright, laughed coldly, setting her up and out of his arms. He stood up and walked off set, cold and confused. Knuckles stood up quickly, "Cut! Bring them some towels!"

Many people tried to approach Shadow, but he glared at all of them with a fury they had never seen. One man was brave enough to hand him a towel, "Here, so you don't catch a cold..."

He glared and grabbed the towel, drying his hair. He stood up and stormed over to Amy. She could feel him coming from miles away as Cream dried her hair. He approached her and said in a stern voice, "Ms. Rose, I do hope you will inform me of any stunt you pull in the future before deciding to improv these scenes. The last thing the company needs is a dead actress to tarnish its name." He stormed away and Amy glared at his back, before looking up at Cream.

"Amy, I agree with Mr. Shadow on this one. You can't even swim, why would you enter the water?" Cream asked concerned.

"I didn't do it on purpose. My heels were tampered with." Amy replied quickly. Cream glared at a squirrel from afar.

"I wonder who could have tampered with them..."


	25. Tea Time

While Cream kept drying Amy's hair, Amy sent a text to Shadow explaining the situation.

 _"I didn't want to fall in the water. My heels were tampered with, and I fell in the water. I added those scenes so we didn't have to do any retakes."_

As soon as she sent the message, he instantly read it, however after a few minutes of getting no response, she huffed under her cheeks. "Rude." Cream was done drying her hair so Amy changed into some warmer clothes as she walked out with Cream. On their way into the hotel, Amy bumped into a crew member who fell to the ground.

"Oh, sorry!" Amy smiled down at her, "It's no problem." The yellow fox smiled back, and then left.

As Amy reached her hotel room, she tried to recall where she had seen the yellow vixen before. There were so many crew members though, so she couldn't pin point who she was. It wasn't until later that night at dinner when she saw the same fox sitting beside Sally. Cream looked at the girl also before whispering to Amy,

"I remember now. That is the same girl that ran out of your dressing room before we shot the scene. Her name is Zoey the fox, and she is Sally's new assistant." Amy nodded next to her manager, "Now we have even more to deal with..."

"I never expected her to do this on the first day." Cream said as she tore through her pizza angrily.

They finished their food and decided to take a walk through the hotels garden, and then decided to play black jack with a few of the other crew members. Amy laughed along with her best friend and manager until a feeling down below told her she had to pee. She excused herself to go to the bathroom. She went to the ladies room and quickly stepped inside one and locked it to pee. She sighed and flushed and right before she stood up there were a flurry of foot steps that ran in. She could hear the voice of Sally and her assistant and a few other female actresses.

 _"Shadow is the rudest, how dare he say those things to me!" Sally screeched._

 _"Especially since sister Sally didn't even do anything." Zoey pipped in, "Everyone was singing in the box when Sally saw Shadow alone! She thought she'd ask him to sing with her, but no he had to say something so mean and horrible!"_

When Amy heard Sally's name, she smirked and sat back down to eavesdrop.

 _"Right! How could he tell her if she liked hitting on guys so much to go and be a stripper!?"_

 _"And then to turn to the director and ask him to hire sensible actors and not anymore escorts! I can't believe he said that in front of everyone!"_

The voices got quiet as the girls left the bathroom. Amy took a deep breath. Waiting to make sure they had all left, she opened the door. Sally was the only one left, fixing her smudged make up at the mirror. The Squirrel looked over her shoulder and glared at Amy, but didn't say a word. Amy stood at the sink next to her, and also began fixing her hair. She smiled and turned to Sally with a smile on her face,

"It was you who messed with my heels wasn't it?"

Sally gulped, and refused to look at the pink hedgehog or give her the time of day at that moment. Amy turned to her fully, with a sincere smile on her face.

"I want to thank you. If it hadn't been for you, so many people wouldn't have been able to see me perform and see my true potential. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have gone with the flow and convinced Knuckles or Robotnik I was improvising on the spot with my broken heels. They wouldn't have seen me in a different light nor would I have received his endless praises. So, Sally, thank you."

Sally gritted her teeth,"You're welcome Miss Amy." The Squirrel grabbed her handbag and began to walk out of the bathroom, but figured she might try and get the last word. "I see how Producer Robotnik looks at you. Tell me, did you really get your role by acting? Or did you just seduce your way in? Come on Amy, tell me your secrets." She turned to look at Amy with a face of pure hatred. "Tell me how you slept with Producer Robotnik to get a role working with Shadow."

Amy stood by a trash can, and took a half empty water bottle out of the trash can, "You really want me to teach you?" She walked over to the sink, filled the bottle up with water, then turned to Sally with a nice smile, before dumping the bottle on her head. Sally's face grew red and she raised her hand up to hit Amy, but Amy anticipated this and caught her wrist, just as the bathroom door opened. Both girls froze, but Amy was quick. She grabbed some bathroom napkins and started to rub Sally's face.

"Sister Sally, how could you be so clumsy? You're all soaked!" Amy cried out as she tried to "help" the squirrel out. Producer Robotnik stuck his head in, looking at the two, "What is going on in here?"

"Producer, Sally accidentally squirted water on herself." Amy started to rub more of Sally's make up off more gently, "No sister Sally, let me help you."

Inside, Sally was erupting like an active volcano. But she put on a friendly facade also. Robotnik looked at Sally, "You should be more careful."

"I will, thank you." Sally forced a smile and then turned to Amy, "And thank you sister Amy, I shall go first." The Squirrel calmly left the bathroom. Amy turned and walked out also, followed by Producer Robotnik.

"Ms. Amy, I have booked a room later with a few of the other crew members, you should join us."

Amy remembered the last time he had talked to her, let alone touch her, and how Shadow reacted.

"I must politely decline, Producer Robotnik, as I want to study my lines more."

"If you say so. I do need to talk to you about my drama coming out late of next year. We should talk to see if you're interested in the role when it comes around." Amy smiled politely as they made their way back to the main lobby.

"I'll take that into consideration, producer Robotnik. Good night." She went back to find her friends as he went his own way also.

* * *

Tails sat in his hotel room making coffee for Shadow. He remembered that Shadow had fallen into the pool and was doing his best to make sure Shadow didn't get sick. He walked up to the room across the hall from his and knocked on the door. Shadow opened it, eyeing the tea curiously. Tails was immediately taken in by the smell of cigarettes.

"Shadow, drink this tea. It will help you avoid getting a cold from your pool scene today."

Shadow didn't react, so Tails left the tea on the table. Shadow put out what was left of his cigarette and pulled the cup up to his mouth and drank it all down instantly. He looked over at Tails, "Is there anymore?"

Tails nodded, "I'll go pour more if you want it."

"No, send some to Amy's room, say it's an arrangement from the crew."

Tails understood, and nodded and went back to his room. After five minutes, he came back after he delivered the tea. Shadow looked up at the fox, "Did you deliver it?"

"Yes, unfortunately Amy wasn't in. Cream took it for her though." Shadow's fur stood on end.

"If Amy isn't with her manager than where is she?"

"Well, they were playing cards but apparently Producer Robotnik went in looking for Amy to talk to her about a new role so she is playing cards with him downstairs."

Shadows grip on the tea cup tightened. "I understand. You can go back for today."

"But, Shadow-"

"Go."

Tails shut up and nodded, leaving Shadow to his loneliness. A few minutes after Tails left, Shadow pulled out his phone and texted Amy 

_"Come up with your script."_


	26. Torn up scripts

Amy was playing cards with Robotnik and two other people. So far she was the one who was winning. The other two players kept letting him win in hoping to land a new role as a result of making him happy. Amy realized she had won quite a bit of money already and decided she was finished playing. She looked to Robotnik, "I think I will pull out what I have for now." He nodded her way and looked at his watch,

"It's getting late. Does anyone want dinner?"

"Us!" The two actresses from the other side of the table screamed. He smiled at them kindly,

"I know a nearby Sushi Stall that has great food. Let's go there next." He motioned over to Knuckles who came with his coat. Amy sat there, trying to think of another excuse to avoid being around Robotnik, when she heard her phone vibrate. She looked down at her phone.

 _Shadow: Come up with your phone._

She texted him back quickly, _"I'm on my way."_

Amy then stood up and turned to the girls, bowing to them and thanking them for the evening, before turning to Robotnik, "I'm afraid Mr. Shadow wants to go over the scenes for tomorrow with me, so I shall be on my way."

Robotnik bit the inside of his lip and thought to himself, _'Drat. I had intended on offering her dinner. I've been so mesmerized by her. Shadow is always getting in my way. First he offers her a cosmetic endorsement before I can, and now he's intervening in my plans to get her in my show... Still, there is not much I can do in this situation.'_

Robotnik forced a smile and nodded, "Another time than Amy. We can talk about the role another time. Now go, don't keep Shadow waiting."

Amy nodded and collected her belongings and rushed out of the poker area. She held her things close to her as she stepped into the elevator and the doors shut, taking her to the master suite. She pondered for a moment. Shadow usually wasn't the one who made the first move, normally it was her. And her gut told her that he wasn't inviting her to go over the scripts like he had said. The elevator doors opened again, knocking her out of her trance. With a heavy sigh, she forced her feet to move forward to his room. She took a deep breath and hit the doorbell, her arms quickly going back to clutching the purse on her arm.

* * *

Shadow's ears perked up and his heart started to beat rapidly. She was here. Quickly, he ran over to his desk and grabbed his script, ripped it up, and tossed it out the window. He sighed, fixed his quills, and calmly walked over to the door and opened it. Amy's body stiffened instantly. She raised her eyes up to look at Shadow's. He stood to the side, allowing her to walk in, "Come in." She nodded, and then walked past him as he shut the door softly. She stopped, eyes narrowing as she turned to glare at him, "Shadow, what did you really call me here for?"

His face flushed a bit and he cleared his throat awkwardly. "I uh... lost my script. And since we have most of our scenes together, I was wondering if I could borrow yours to make a copy."

Shadow had asked so nicely that Amy did a double take to make sure it was Shadow she was talking to. Cautiously, she handed him the script, "I'll leave first. When you have finished making a copy let me know and I'll come back and get it." She turned to leave but he grabbed her wrist. She turned to look at him confused.

"No... wait here, it wont take but a few minutes." He was looking at her with almost begging ruby eyes. He took the script and quickly went into the other room, not giving her a chance to argue. For a few minutes, Amy stared at the room he had entered. This was so unlike him, and it was throwing her off.

He came back and Amy shot her eyes to the other side of the room to focus on something else. He walked over to the refrigerator and asked if she wanted a bottle, and she nodded, replying lowly. He returned and handed it to her, their fingertips touching as he did so. His eyes darkened, and he turned back to the other side of the room and turned on the tv. One of her favorite sitcoms had just started and she blushed.

 _'How did he remember what time my favorite show started?'_

He sat on the couch, patting the space next to him. She sat next to him quietly, sipping her water. That was when she realized how nice he smelt. Her nose got caught on his scent and she felt herself scoot closer to him. She was so nervous that she started drinking all of her water faster, before she realized it, the bottle was empty. Shadow eyed the empty bottle in her hand.

"Do you want me to get you more?"

His voice startled her and made her jump. She shook her head quickly, "No, that's fine."

He could sense her unease and frowned, "I will.. go check on the paper copies." He stood up and left the room feeling defeated. Amy sighed and felt more at ease as she relaxed and watched the show. Slowly she felt her eyelids get heavy.

When Shadow returned with her original copy in hand, he found her asleep on his sofa. He let out a small smile and brought over a blanket to cover her with. With one last look, he kissed her temple before leaving the living room and going to his room.


	27. Blackmail

**T-M RATED CHAPTER YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED**

Amy had slept on the couch for about an hour before she woke up. Her vision was blotchy for a moment as she tried to remember where she was. "That's right, I'm in Shadow's room." She stood up quickly, holding the blanket to her as she walked around looking for him. The TV had been turned off and she could no longer hear the photocopier running. She inhaled quickly, smelling Shadow's scent on the blanket. She sighed happily and smiled as she walked towards what she assumed to be Shadow's bedroom. She poked her head in curiously, seeing that he had passed out also on his desk. Amy walked over to him, poking his shoulders, "Shadow?"

When he didn't answer, Amy took the blanket that had been placed on her over the ebony hedgehog's sleeping figure. She couldn't help but take in how peaceful he looked when he was sleeping. She looked at his face and sure enough, she saw the script and the copy right by his head. She bit her lip, she would just take her script and go without disturbing him. She reached out to grab her script when his head suddenly lifted up, and then she retracted her arm quickly. He looked up at her and she quickly defended herself, "Sorry! You were sleeping so I came in and gave you a blanket and then I was gonna grab my script and go." He looked at the scripts on the table, then to the blanket on his back. He nodded, picked up her script, than gave it to her.

"Thanks." She said softly.

"No, thank you." He said.

Amy blushed. In the five years after they grew so distant she couldn't remember a time when he had thanked her for anything. Heck, they had been married a few months now and this was the most they had communicated and gotten along. Amy felt her heart beat beneath the skin of her chest. She hugged the script to her breasts and said, "You're welcome."

"Before you go, there's something I need to discuss with you." Shadow's eyes narrowed, he didn't like the idea of her starring in a production with Robotnik. "I'm starting a new drama late this fall for the company. Knuckles will be directing it again and it'll have the same top notch screening and actors in it. I'm making you the female lead, so I would like you to make your schedule free."

Amy's thoughts started to pile up. He was offering her another role, did this mean he wanted to have sex? Was this a sign that this would be exchange number four? Would there be more times after this? Furiously, she let her fists fall to her side as they shook angrily.

"Do you just take me for someone who is willing to use her body for benefits?" She hissed lowly, her green eyes glaring into his.

"H-Huh?" Shadow did a double take.

"I don't want to take on this project, so I will not be accepting this offer." Amy turned her back to him. Shadow's voice grew colder and his eyes narrowed as he stood up to approach her, with her back still facing him.

"Why?"

"Because!" She shouted, "I don't want to sleep with you for roles anymore."

Shadow grabbed the girls wrist and glared hard at her, "Where is this coming from all of a sudden? Robotnik offers you a drama and you have no problem saying yes? But I offer you a part as a lead and you're going to say no? Were you not the one who initiated this little exchange to begin with?"

She glared daggers as she pulled her hand back from his, "I know, I did start all of this and I'm sorry I let it get this far. But I also declined Robotniks drama offer also, so please don't assume I said yes!"

He snapped. He pulled Amy towards him as he threw her onto the bed, pinning her there. Amy's eyes widened in shock. There was a look of hurt and betrayal on Shadow's face almost, but she didn't understand why. Shadow's right hand trailed down her side, then reached behind, looking for a zipper. Amy flushed. He leaned down and whispered into her ears,

"Who am I to you, Amy Rose?" He pulled her zipper down farther, "A tool for you to use to gain some benefits? A stepping stone? Now that you have all these other offers coming in from producers you're just going to kick me to the side like I don't even matter?" Amy yelped a bit when he gave her tail a tug, she bucked her hips into his and he growled. She shook her head,

"No, you're not some tool, Shadow! Listen to me-"

"Or are you saying that now that we've slept together three times, that you're bored and sick of me. Are you going to go and climb into Robotnik's bed next to?" Amy flushed with anger at that comment, "Shadow the hedgehog, how fucking dare you!"

"How dare I? This is all your fault!" Amy let out a low growl of her own, how dare he blame and pin her for all this?

"You and your family are the ones who asked me to marry you, not the other way around." She hissed, "OR did you forget?" She leaned up, and grabbed his tie, pulling him forward, "How well do you think they'll all take it, knowing that you MARRIED me and then used your power to make your wife the next top hit celebrity?" She smirked and nibbled on his ear as she did so, to which he let out a little moan.

"Damn it woman!" He pulled away, and glared at her dangerously, "Even if you don't want to take the leading role in the next show, you WILL take it!" And at that Shadow crashed his lips against hers furiously. She moaned as his tongue wrestled hers. Shadow's fingers played in her hair, then danced down her body, removing what was left of the dress that had been unzipped but not removed. His fingers brushed up against her breast as they kissed deeper and she gasped. She put her hands on the white tuff of fur on his chest, trying to breathe, and spoke out,

"I never wanted to rely on others, I only wanted to rely on myself..." Amy confessed. Shadow froze. If she never wanted to sleep with him for her role in the first place, then why did she sleep with him and crawl into his bed? Why were they here doing this again for the fourth time? His train of thought was cut off as Amy pressed little kisses up against his neck, "Shadow, please just take me.." His pupils widened and he wasted no time in giving her what she wanted.


	28. You like her!

When Shadow was done with Amy, his cold facade washed back over. He leaned over Amy, whose pink fur was now covered in bite marks that were turning blue, "You'll have all the time in the world to start working for yourself when I'm through with you." He hissed. She looked up at him sadly, there was a sudden darkness in her eyes. At some point, half way through, he had started getting a bit more aggressive during their intimacy. She watched him walk out of the room and into the bathroom to shower. She sighed and fixed her hair, putting her clothes back on as she went back to her own room. She opened the door and shut it behind her, surprised to see Cream still awake, she waved to her friend and sat down beside her. Cream turned to ask Amy how it went, when she noticed the dark look in Amy's eyes. Cream paused the movie she was watching and turned to her, "Amy? What happened? Did Shadow ... do that... again?"

Amy nodded, "Yeah, but guess what Cream? I got asked to be the female lead for a drama in the upcoming fall so... I guess it was worth it." Amy whispered to herself, but was unsure in if she believed it was so worth it. Cream hugged her friend tightly, knowing Amy didn't wan't to talk about Shadow at all.

"Well, I'm glad for you Amy... If you're happy, then I'm happy."

Amy leaned her head on her friends shoulder, "Thanks Cream. For being my friend."

"Of course Amy..." Cream opened her mouth again hesitantly, "Hey Amy, why did you decide to enter the entertainment industry in the first place?"

Amy's eyes opened slightly, "How funny. Aunt and Uncle and even cousin Blaze asked me that same question. After everything that happened with mom and dad, the last thing they wanted was for me to fall under the influence of the celebrity life and for my life to get worse. I told them I was going into it to have fun, and they believed me..." Amy bit her lip, "But I lied. I didn't go in for fun. I went in for Shadow." Cream looked at her friend with sad eyes. The things her friend was having to go through for one man.

"Plus, the pay is great." Amy joked, "More money."

"Amy, you don't need more money..."

"Hey, no one complains about having too much money right?"

"Well Amy, just remember I'm here and im your best friend... so you must share it all with me." She giggled teasingly and Amy giggled back.

"Of course Cream, for every four hundred dollars I make, you'll earn a penny." Amy rubbed the rabbit's head and Cream muttered under her breath about how capitalists were nothing but thieves.

* * *

Through out the rest of the week, unless she had scenes with him, Amy avoided Shadow like the plague. She didn't go to the social rooms anymore, didn't go play poker, didn't do anything unless it was work and then going back to her hotel room. When she had to eat lunch in the cafe, she always made sure Shadow wasn't in there first, and then she would grab her food to go. If he was, she would leave and come back and get some when he was hopefully gone. But by then all of the good food was already eaten.

Half a month had gone by and the crew actually got to have a three day vacation because Rouge's birthday was coming up. She had invited the whole crew to her birthday party, and said it would be a carnival. She personally invited Amy, saying she hoped the pink hedgehog would go. Amy told her it would be a maybe, depending on her schedule, but she would try to be there for the bats sake. She knew Shadow would be there so she didn't want to go, but at the same time she and Rouge were becoming good friends and she didn't want to let her friend down.

In the end, she decided she wasn't going to go. She had gone and bought an expensive bag for Rouge instead as a gift, and ran to Rouge's hotel room which was on the same floor as Shadow's. Amy knocked on her door and waited for a few seconds, holding a purple bag in her hand. The door opened and Rouge looked so happy, "Amy!" The white bat hugged Amy tightly, "So nice to see you, come in!"

"Oh, I'm afraid I can not stay long." Amy returned the hug, and held up the purple bag. "I'm afraid I will be busy tonight and not able to attend your party, so I got you a little something to say Happy Birthday and I'm sorry for not being able to make it."

"Thanks Amy, you're a doll." She frowned, "However it's not gonna be any fun without you and Cream. Maybe you could come sooner and leave earlier?"

"Rouge, I never knew you were this pushy." Both the girls turned their head to see Shadow standing in front of his door. It seemed as though he was just getting back and about to enter his room. He looked at Amy who instantly looked away. Amy paled and turned to Rouge apologetically, "Sorry, I have to go, Cream is waiting on me. Happy Birthday!" She turned around and walked straight passed Shadow without even sparing him a glance. Rouge looked at her and then back at Shadow he was wearing an angry expression on his face as he watched the pinkette dart down the hallway. She heard him 'tch!' and then slam the door. Her eyes widened as she tried to replay what just went down.

"What the heck just happened?"

* * *

That night, Rouge had been walking around the hotel with a glass of red wine in her hand when she spotted Shadow on one of the balcony's smoking. She stopped and glared hard at his back, and then started marching towards him. Shadows ears twitched and he put out his cigarette before turning to the person who had approached him.

"Rouge."

Rouge nodded towards him and sipped her wine as she stood next to him. "Mr Doom and Gloom."

"What do you want?"

"I wanted to talk to you about your behavior. Your emotions seem to becoming more and more unstable."

Shadow scoffed and turned away from her, "It's none of your business."

"Having woman problems, I see?"

Shadow growled this time but Rouge was used to his attitude and behavior by now. He turned to leave and she took it one step further,

"It's Amy isn't it?"

He froze in his tracks, glaring out of the corner of his eye at her.

"When she fell into the pool you didn't even hesitate to jump in after her. I've never seen you "act" like that before. And when we usually shoot, you are always on your phone, not really concerned with what everyone else is doing. But since this production has started you have become more interested in a single corner of the set... where Amy always is."

Shadow turned sharply then to look at her, his teeth gritted, "Rouge, I had no idea you were capable of imagining up such crazy stories." He was angry and she could tell, so she kept pushing his buttons.

"Now now, listen here. Amy is my friend, I care about her like anyone else on this set does. She's become good friends with pretty much everyone. And this afternoon, when Amy was speaking to me, you were angry. Was it because like me, you also know Amy isn't coming to my party because she's avoiding you?"

"Rouge!" Shadow growled. His quills stood on edge and he glared harder, people were starting to look at them from afar.

"Not only are you pissed, you're jealous because Amy actually looked at me when we held a conversation. Amy didn't even look or say hi to you when she passed you in the hallway. So then, like all children do, you threw a tantrum and shut the door. My my, even jealous of women.."

"Nonsense!" This time, he had stormed off, hoping to shake the bat off of his shoulders. She smiled and flew after him, ignoring the cold environment, "Hey, what is Amy to you anyway?"

"I-uh-erm-wha-crazy!" He stammered as he quickened his pace.

"I'm crazy or Amy is crazy?" She asked as she sped up a bit, keeping up with him easily.


	29. His Side Of The Story

Shadow had stormed out of Rouge's party and headed out to his car. Rouge quit following him as she saw him throw open the driver side door and then slam it shut after he got in. She sighed as she watched him drive off in the rain and she turned around, flying back inside to her party. Shadow pulled out of the parking lot and turn out onto the street. It was silent in the car as he just listened to the heavy ran falling against the window. After a few more minutes of unbearable silence he turned on the radio. The station was on one of Tails favorite radio talk shows. They were always talking about love and life advice.

"I swear, Tails is 27 years old. Why is he listening to this girly crap all the time..." He muttered. He had gone to switch the radio off when the host said,

 _"How can love push a person to work hard enough to make money?"_

Shadow froze, hesitated, then pulled his hand away. His eyes focused on the road, but his ears focused on the voice.

 _"Most of the time, it's not money we want, it's to be able to love and feel loved by the person we admire most. But because the love of your life is beautiful and deserves the best thing you can offer her, people will normally work hard to give her what she deserves. Now, don't get me wrong, money isn't always a 100 percent sure way to make someone love you. However, a penniless person will fail in love. And so, people make money to make sure they can provide and give their woman what she needs."_

Shadow tightened his grip on the steering wheel. The session ended on the radio and he turned it off. He thought to himself a bit more, then shook it off. He didn't want to relive the past and the hurt that was in his heart, it was too sensitive to remember everything that had happened. Sure, he was mean and cold, but he didn't have a choice. In life, you adapt to your surroundings.

* * *

 _For Shadow, he had not meant to be a part of this world. Sonic's family was a noble and rich family of the capital. They were always successful as long as they had someone to marry an heir off to. Sonic's mother, Aleena, and father, Jules, were forced into an arranged marriage, there was no love behind it at all and it was pitiful and miserable. However, Sonic's father was in love with an actress, Shadow's mother. Sonic's father had been greedy and under the influence of alcohol when they had slept together._

 _Two months later Shadow's mother discovered that she was pregnant and had kept it a secret. It turns out, Sonic's mother had also found out she was pregnant. Many many months later both of them went into labor at the same hospital, but in different rooms. Shadow, who was born first, was born in the crummiest hospital room to offer. Sonic, who was born second, was born in the three star hospital room. Already the two were born with completely different lives. Sometimes Shadow had just wished that his mother would have just aborted him, to save herself from all this misery, but he knew her heart and knew she would never be the type of person to do that. She kept it a secret from Sonic's family and just worked harder in the entertainment industry to provide for Shadow. Life was great, until the time when Shadow was three. He had fallen ill and was hospitalized, and the only way for him to get better was to get him a bone marrow transplant. His mother had tried desperately to do it herself, but it was no use. Her HLA wasn't a match to the child's. In the end, she had no other choice but to go to Sonic's mother and father for help._

 _Even though the marriage didn't revolve around love, the next few years Sonic's mom and dad were the happiest couple. So when the celebrity came asking for help, you can imagine how badly this affected their marriage afterwards. Sonic's mother though, with a heart of gold, said she would do everything she could to help, and gave him no choice but to give Shadow his bone marrow. It was at that moment that he would hate the child Shadow, for he was proof of their being a stain in his life. A stain he would never be able to get rid of. So he gave the red celebrity female hedgehog a compromise._

 _"We will help in whatever way we can. However, there will be a few conditions. Shadow will not live here with us. Shadow will be excluded from the family tree. He will never be a legitimate heir to the family estate. Sonic will be the family successor."_

 _After that night, the operation had been successful. After that, Ruby the hedgehog took Shadow and never looked back, cutting off all ties with the Xu family. But after that, Sonic's father had made sure that she didn't succeed in the entertainment industry. She was forced to pick up jobs as a waitress, stripper, cashier, et cetera. But she always made sure she could provide for her child._

 _So Shadow spent most of his nights home alone. Whenever he did see his mother, she had always passed out after giving him a kiss and rubbing his quills. And when he got back from school she was always leaving to go to work. He never saw his mother, but understood she was doing all she could. And he was too, as he was going to school trying to fit in, but was getting constantly teased and bullied by other kids. He had grown so used to it all that he ended up ignoring them all, staying by himself and being alone. Because of that, his cold and hateful demeanor grew even more. He started doing things on his own over time, and that became a habit. The reason he acted so defensively when people talked to him is because in his own way he was trying to stand up for himself._

 _After that, Shadow had been invited by Sonic's grandfather to attend a family dinner every year on new years. Shadow's mother told him if he wanted to go, he could go. She was not going to go though, she had to work. So every year on new years, Shadow went to visit the family for dinner. Jules didn't even make eye contact with the ebony hedgehog, and Aleena smiled at him, trying to make him feel welcome as much as she could. Yes she didn't like the woman's son being in her home, however she tried to tolerate it. But when she heard Shadow call Jules dad (only because he had seen Sonic do it and had assumed that was his name), she yelled at him and corrected him instantly, and after that Shadow never called Jules his dad again._

 _Now, Sonic was a rebel. Sonic actually cared for and got along with Shadow, and seeing how he had no siblings, Sonic had called Shadow his brother. Both his parents became enraged and told him that Shadow wasn't his brother, but Shadow didn't care, and kept calling him by that for the rest of the time. The bond between the brothers was strong and difficult to break._

 _After that, Sonic's grandfather died, and Shadow was never invited over to see his brother again. But he still got to see Sonic after that. They ended up going to the same school and Shadow couldn't help but feel happy. He walked up to Sonic one day, and that was when he met Amy. Her quills were shorter and she wore a red headband in her hair. After that time, Sonic, Blaze, and Shadow were all in the same grade, Amy was two years younger. However after her parents died, Amy's aunt and uncle convinced the school to let Amy skip two grades so she was in class with them. Sonic didn't live too far from them, so they walked home together most of the time after school, usually having to go an opposite direction from Shadow. Sometimes, after school, Sonic and Shadow would play football together in the field with the girls cheering them on._

 _And even though they were only in junior high, Amy and Blaze were popular with the boys. Blaze was fiery and outspoken, while Amy was quiet and graceful. The two sisters were beautiful. Amy however was naturally more pretty, but Blaze's personality drew peoples attention. They were the perfect due. When people complimented them Amy always blushed while Blaze just smirked. Amy always tried to hide her blush, but when Shadow started to notice it, his heart began to pound and he chuckled inside his head. Perhaps he had always noticed her back then. When she was around, he felt relaxed, and when she wasn't, he felt like a part of him was missing._

 _On that day under the rain when they were both waiting for the rain to stop, he had been too nervous to actually look at her. When he left and had turned to glance and had seen that she was looking at him the entire time, his heart almost burst. After that he saw her again in high school. The schooling was a little expensive and he didn't want to go originally, but his mother pushed him to do it so he would have a job and a good career later on in his future. So he did and always stuck by Sonic's side whenever he could. When she came up and Sonic had introduced Shadow to her, she had said, "Hi, I'm Amy." And he was too nervous to respond, so he kept up his cold exterior while Sonic had explained, "Shadow, his name is Shadow."_

 _From then on, he would always nod at her direction or say her name as a greeting when he passed by her in the halls. But his favorite time to see her was when he played football and he would see her and her friends running in the field. At that time all the guys talked about which girl was the prettiest girl of them all, and it had always been Amy. This discouraged Shadow a bit, every guy in the school had eyes for the girl he had eyes on._

 _Later on, when he had purposely failed his math test to be in grade class C with her, he had hopes they would get closer. However, after hearing that she got good grades and put into class A, he became even more distressed. Especially with the fact that he was getting hounded by every female in class C now when he just wanted to be with Amy. And then there was one time when he was walking out of the bathroom and caught her leaning against the wall in pain. He had helped her to the nurses office and spent the entire afternoon there with her, and he swore that was the best afternoon of his entire life. When she had asked about the girl that had come in, he quickly diffused what she had been thinking. No, the student council president wasn't his girlfriend. And after that, he made sure he didn't have to speak to the female unless he had to. And when the nurse came back in and he had paid for her medicine with what little he had left over from mowing the grass for his neighbors, she had pulled out her wallet to reveal a pile of hundreds. His eyes almost widened, because that was how much he would have made mowing lawns in a year if not more._

 _He had applied at the same university as her, and then found out she was actually going somewhere else. He felt defeated. From then on, they lived in different places and he never got to see her much anymore. After she started coming to visit him more and more with train rides, he started to realize how much money she had from her inheritance. And yet everytime she went to visit him, he always paid for her meals, even though they cost him more than he was making._

 _And then there was the time she had lost her wallet when she came to see him and she had been crying on the phone frantically. That was the first night they had spent together and it was the best night of his life. After she had fallen asleep, she didn't know it, but he had actually stolen a kiss from her. He had looked at her and stroked her hair, promising to become a man worthy enough to love her._

* * *

Rouge had asked him what Amy was to him. As he pulled his car into a complete stop at where he was going, he decided that Amy was his deep and forbidden love. If he were to go back in time, he would say that Amy Rose was his deepest love. However at some point that love become forbidden. When he finally entered the entertainment industry at 18, and gotten some major roles, that was when people started respecting him and he started making money. The four and a half years after that were the most difficult times of his life but also the most blessed. After he had been able to send Amy home, he had gone back to his drama where he was the most favored character. Shortly after that he became popular and actually was able to take over the industry.

But now he had another chance to seek Amy's love and he was going to take it.


	30. Terrible Acting

Shadow had picked up some coffee at a nearby cafe and got back into his car. He pulled out of the business's parking lot and started driving home. He sipped his coffee and looked at the one in the passenger cup holder. Hopefully if she was home, he could muster the courage to give it to her. He blinked a few times as he continued driving, trying not to remember anymore painful memories. He came to stop at a red light when he noticed familiar pink fur running across the street. His eyes narrowed and he squinted. Amy was running in the rain with an umbrella trying to flag down a taxi. He rolled his eyes and scoffed and pulled up next to her. She turned to the car with a smile thinking it was a taxi, but her face fell when she noticed it was Shadow. He rolled the windows down a bit, "Get in, Rose." She nodded quickly and folded in her umbrella and got in the passenger seat next to him. She blushed and looked down at her lap, "Thanks..."

When he started driving again, he noticed she didn't put her seatbelt on. He grimaced as he reached over and yanked the belt up and around her with a click before returning to the wheel, "Buckle up next time will you?"

Amy blushed, this was the first time they had been alone since that incident. She felt like he wasn't in a good mood, but still, the pink hedgehog wanted to make some kind of conversation with him. She awkwardly turned her head to look out the window, "So, I heard you left Rouge's birthday party?" He simply nodded. He blinked, trying to calm his nerves. He handed her the cup of coffee that was in the passenger seat cup holder.

"Drink this."

"Is it not yours?"

"This is mine" He pointed to his cup, then to hers, "That is yours."

"Oh, thanks."

It was quiet again as an awkward silence fell over the both of them. Shadow sipped his coffee, he wanted to talk with her more but couldn't force himself to. He wanted to tell Amy about why he left the crazy bats party, because she was getting close to learning about his feelings. "I had an urgent meeting to attend to so I left."

"Oh." Amy looked up, seeing a train station, "Well, there's a train station here. If you need to get to your meeting quickly you can just drop me off here and I'll take the train home." His eyebrows furrowed. Was she being nice or trying to avoid him again? No, he didn't want her to avoid him. SO he stepped onto the accelerator speeding up as he passed the train station.

"Oops, I missed the turn in." He said sarcastically. Amy flushed, he had done that on purpose! She looked towards the buttons on his car and pointed to them.

"Can I turn on the radio?"

He nodded and she smiled as a familiar tune entered her ears. This song was called Secret and sung by one of her favorite singers. She smiled and sipped her coffee as she sung along with the lyrics. Shadow listened to her singing as he drove, a smile creeping up on his face.

 _"After finishing the coffee, the feelings that I had suppressed,_

 _The past that I've tried so hard to relive could be seen on my face._

 _Rainy days aren't the most beautiful,_

 _It's the house we hid to shelter from the rain that is..."_

Amy giggled to herself as the song ended. "I only watched the video because one of my favorite male celebrities had stared in it." Shadow clenched tighter onto the wheel, his eyes turned away from hers as he pouted a little bit. "Oh, well that.. is good I guess. What is the name of the song?"

"Secret."

As she said the word, the sad memories from the past started playing in her head. Memories from then until now. She felt her happy exterior slipping and she looked back down to her lap, feeling something leave her. A few moments later, Shadow pulled up to the house. As soon as he parked the car, she bolted out of the passenger door and started running inside. Shadow felt a bit heartbroken. She wanted nothing to do with him it seemed. He was about to start the car again when he noticed her bag was still there. He honked quickly and she jumped and turned to him. He pointed at the bag on the seat and she nodded and ran back over to him, blushing, "U-Um, thanks..."

When he didn't leave, she looked up at him again, daringly she asked, "Will you come home tonight?"

His gaze met hers as he looked at her seriously, "Do you want me to come home?" He caught himself as he realized she could hold this against him, even make fun of him for it. Why would she want him to come home anyway? He scoffed, his demeanor changing "I mean, it's not like I have any needs tonight anyway."

"So... you're only gonna come back when you want to sleep with me, is that it?" He jumped and turned to look at her. A tear had rolled down her cheek and his eyes widened, "What? Rose, no-"

She turned from him quickly and ran away from the car with her bag in her hand this time. He watched her walk away and immediately felt regret. He didn't want to do this anymore. He didn't want to say those kinds of things to her anymore or hurt her. But damn it... he couldn't open up to her. He turned away furiously and sped away from the house and into the night.

* * *

As Amy walked inside their home, she dabbed at her face and her hair with some little napkins from her bag. She grumbled under her breath angrily, cursing Shadow's name. She was so focused on being angry she hadn't seen Madam Vanilla walking towards her, "Evening Mrs. Rose, I've prepared dinner. Do you want some?"

Amy shook her head, forcing her angry thoughts away from her so she could be polite and talk to Vanilla, "I have already ate I'm afraid. Why don't you eat instead? Shadow won't be back until later I think, he has a few meetings."

"Alright I suppose. Shall I start a bath for you?"

"I'm fine, but thank you Vanilla. I can bathe myself." Vanilla smiled, nodded, and headed off to the kitchen.

"Alright, good night Mrs. Rose."

"Good night, Madam Vanilla."

Amy disappeared up the stairs and into her room. She stripped of her clothes and hopped into the shower, making sure the water was hot before she sighed and relaxed. She pulled her quills back as she applied some conditioner and shampoo, and then the water turned off. She exited the shower and wrapped a towel around her as she headed for her bedroom. She changed into a dry set of clothes and then made her way over to the closet. In the very back behind her shoe cabinet, there was a small blue box. She pulled it out and opened it. There were train tickets, plane tickets, a few random bills, receipts, and some trinkets in it. On the very bottom was an old letter with a torn seal. She picked it up and looked at it softly. She smiled and held it to her chest, little did she know that Madam Vanilla was peeking around the door. Vanilla turned away quickly before pulling out her phone and rushing down the stairs to call someone.

* * *

Shadow was just getting done with his meeting when his phone rang. He pulled the technological device out of his back pocket and glanced at it. He opened his phone, "Hello?"

 _"Mr. Shadow, how are you this evening? Amy did not want to eat dinner, she said she had already ate, so she went upstairs to the bedroom."_

"Ah" He thought for a second and remembered Amy had been running around in the rain for some time, "Make sure to adjust the room temperature for Rose, and to make her some tea so she won't get sick."

 _"She said she just wanted to rest, would it be okay for me to go up there again?"_

"Yes, if she is sleeping wake her up and make her take it." He sighed, "Also, how did she look when she came inside?"

 _"Her eyes were a little red. I think she was upset about something, did something happen?"_

"No, not at all." He lied, "I must go. Don't tell her about this conversation." He hung up quickly, making his car head straight back to the home where his wife was.

* * *

Amy was relaxing on her bed, scrolling through her phone when there was a knock on her door. She sat up and looked at the door, "Yes?" The door opened and Vanilla stood there with a tray. It had some of the best china on it. Amy sniffed the air, "Is that ginger tea?" Vanilla smiled with a nod.

"I thought maybe you got caught up in that terrible storm outside, and maybe you would need some." Amy nodded, motioning for her to bring it over. Vanilla brought the tray over as she set it on Amy's night stand. Amy drank the tea quickly and gave it back to Vanilla, "Thank you."

Vanilla nodded and left once again. Amy grabbed her phone, getting onto Twitter to see what was happening. A lot of the people she followed were the celebrities. So she saw many posts on Rouge's page wishing her a happy birthday. It seems even Shadow has posted too.

 _"Happy Birthday you crazy bat RougeTheBat"_

Amy smiled at the many comments under it from his adoring fans. Shadow's nickname in the industry was "hubby" because he was the most sought after entertainer. Amy started a new tweet to Rouge also,

 _"Happy birthday, big sis ~ RougeTheBat"_

Not a few moments later, Rouge responded to her tweet,

 _"Thank you little sis ~~~ AmyTheRose"_

In the drama they were shooting, Amy's character played Rouge's little sister. Rouge's character would normally address her as 'little sis,' the tone she had used was a reference to the drama. As soon as she replied to Amy's tweet, Rouge's fans and Shadow's fans erupted into excitement. Since Shadow was staring in the production, his fans were keeping up with the drama. As soon as Rouge had called Amy little sis, that was when it revealed to the world that this was the one partnering with Shadow in the production. They took to the comments to talk about Amy.

 _"So you are my husband's new mistress! ."_

 _"OMGOSH why are you so pretty?!"_

 _"Please dont seduce my husband ~~~"_

 _"First Rouge, now Amy, why are all my love rivals so pretty?"_

Amy read a few more posts, smiling to herself as she let sleep take her.

* * *

Shadow pulled into the driveway of the mansions. Instead of pulling into the garage he left his car outside. He looked up at the mansions. All the lights were off except for his room. He assumed Amy would still be up. He got out of the car and walked to the front door. He inserted his key and turned it slightly, and opened the door. Vanilla was not there so she must be sleeping. He took his shoes off and put his keys up and he tip toed quietly upstairs. He opened the door and saw Amy laying asleep on her side quietly. He turned the light off and crawled into bed next to her. He stared at her face for a while before reaching over and grabbing her phone and putting it on her nightstand. He then covered the rest of her up with a blanket. He stared at her some more before reaching over to caress her face.

Ever since five years ago, he thought Amy was someone he could never love. He had always stayed calm and cold in front of her, even though most of the time he just wanted to lose control. He got flustered sometimes but would always hide himself, managing to hide his true feelings. He didn't want her to know that love was the reasoning behind his rash actions. Aside from his mom, Amy was the only one he cared about. His mother had given him life into a cold and dark world, but Amy was the light that still remained in it. Amy was his drive and his hope. Even when he succeeded she was his drive and his hope. No one knew that he had been living alone, but he pushed forward anyway. Everyone knows he's surrounded by people all the time, but no one knows how lonely he is. Ever since he was young all he ever wanted was her. But there were many things he couldn't get, Amy being one of them.

It was a mystery to him. One day she just started avoiding him and he didn't know why. To this day, he still wasn't clear as to why she had left his life. He just remembered Sonic having a gathering, him being drunk and incredibly intoxicated. He remembers her coming up to talk to him and him replying to her. After that he seemed to have blacked out and when he woke up and asked Sonic where she went, he said she had left a little earlier. He was beginning to wonder if he had dreamed of them having a conversation or if it even happened at all. He grunted and kissed her hair before wrapping his arms around her and falling asleep.

The next morning Shadow was awake again before Amy. He climbed out of bed and got dressed and walked downstairs. Vanilla stood at the front door and smiled at him, "Good morning, Mr. Shadow." He simply nodded at her, as he grabbed his work coat and threw it over his shoulders. He grabbed the coffee she had made in the kitchen and a bagel and headed towards the door. Before leaving he looked over his shoulder, "Don't tell her I came back." Then walked out.

Vanilla was confused, "I wonder why he wants to hide his concern from his wife so much.."

The next two days Amy stayed at home since there was no shooting. In those two days she didn't receive a text, call, or email from Shadow. He didn't even come home. One night Vanilla was going to the bathroom at twelve in the morning when she noticed that Shadow had been sitting in the driveway in his car. She watched him sit there for about half an hour, not doing anything, before he pulled out of the driveway.

* * *

When they finally returned to the set, filming resumed. From morning until late afternoon, the shoots were mostly done for Rouge, Silver, and Sally. Then after they were done it would be Amy and Shadow's turn to film. This scene was of their backyard and happened at night. The second male lead hadn't been home for many nights, and finally returned to her drunk, confessing his love for her and even kissing her. Everyone in the industry up until now knew Shadow never really kissed the actress. Shadow has techniques to fake kissing actresses but would never really do it. So Robotnik informed Amy ahead of time that she wouldn't actually be kissing Shadow. Even so, she was still nervous.

When Knuckles shouted for it to begin, Amy was already sitting on the set's sofa watching tv. Knuckles signaled for Shadow to enter. To get into his character, Shadow had already drank a bit before arriving.

 _She's sitting on the couch watching tv. Second ML staggers in drunk. She jumps off the sofa and rushes over to him with a worried expression and helps him get his shoes off and over to the sofa. She turns to grab some water for him, but he grabs her hand and spins her around to face him, pulling her onto his lap as he leans back onto the sofa. He looks at second FL with a drunken glaze and leans up to kiss her._

"Cut!" Amy and Shadow's head pop up. "Shadow, you're not doing a good expression. Retake!"

From then on, they had to cut multiple times.

"Cut! Shadow, you're angling for the kiss is weird."

"Cut! Shadow you need to actually LOOK at Amy when you kiss her."

"CUT! Shadow..."

"CUT!"

Everyone around them started whispering and Knuckles turned red. He was furious. "Shadow, take ten minutes to get yourself into character. And makeup, I need his make up touched up within ten minutes." Shadow's face fell for a second before he stood up and walked over to Knuckles while the make up team followed, applying what was needed to his face.

"Director Knuckles, I have decided that I am going to kiss Amy for real in this scene."


	31. A Real Kiss

_"Director Knuckles, I have decided that I am going to kiss Amy for real in this scene."_

He had tried to keep quiet, but the gasps of the crew members around him said loud and clear that they had all heard him. They all started whispering to each other. Their eyes all settled on Knuckles and Shadow as more rumors started to float around.

 _"Shadow usually makes it clear he will kiss no one in dramas. He's even been sued for breaking a contract because he was pressured into doing one."_

 _"He had to pay a lot of money for breaching that contract..."_

The Echidna stared at Shadow for a long time, "Um, what do you mean?"

Shadow stood up and made eye contact, "This scene will be a real kiss scene." He turned around quickly, ignoring the jaw dropping yellow fox beside him, "Tails, I shall be in the bathroom." Shadow cooly left the group and walked towards the mens room. Rouge who had been sitting nearby smiled to herself, knowing what he was up to. He paled as he walked past her and dared himself to take a glance. She gave him a teasing smile back and winked. "Go get her," She whispered. He flushed and turned away from her as his steps increased towards the bathroom.

Knuckles jumped out of his chair. This was going to be huge on the news. He bolted to Amy's dressing room and threw open the door, "Miss Rose, for the kissing scene, it is going to be a real kiss!"

Amy, who had been having her make up touched up, turned and looked at Knuckles with disbelief. "A... real kiss?"

"Yes a REAL KISS!" He grabbed her by the shoulders suddenly, trying to encourage her, "Amy, as an actress your most basic skill is professionalism! So when we shoot, don't get nervous! It's just one kiss, but give that kiss all you've got!" He let go and skipped out of the dressing room happily like a school girl. Amy's face turned red as realization set in. She could feel the stares of the other angry actresses and female crew members from far away.

 _"Shadow's actually going to kiss someone."_

 _"Amy has some luck."_

 _"I wonder if the kiss will involve tongue?"_

'French kiss?' Amy thought quickly. She shut her down and slid down it blushing, "French kissing Shadow in front of all those people." Cream came to her friends aid and began shaking the pink hedgehog,

"Amy! You've got to pull yourself together! As your friend and agent, take this as an opportunity to get back at him for all he's done to you. Prove to him that you can breeze through this kiss with ease, and become a great actress!" Amy's scared eyes turned into one of determination as she gave her friend a nod.

"You're right!" Amy stood up, her fist in the air, "I can do this."

* * *

The two got back into their positions. Shadow and Amy made eye contact. Her green eyes sparkled and narrowed, ready to challenge him in this game of theirs. She took her spot on set back to the couch. He walked in drunk and she got up to get water and when he grabbed her wrist this time, it was a little harder. He used more strength this time as if he was grabbing something he really wanted. It shocked Amy to the point where she fell onto the couch and he toppled over her. Even though this was different from the script, Knuckles still let it continue. Amy forced her eyes to stare right back into Shadow's. His eyes were dark red and beautiful. They held eye contact for about ten minutes. When Amy thought he was going to lean down and kiss her, she saw his eyes change. They darkened but still held a spark. Amy was so fascinated that she didn't even look away. In his eyes, she saw intense love and pain. Amy felt her heart go numb. And then, Shadow lowered his lips slowly, his lips finally connecting with hers.

A strong current traveled between the two hedgehogs bodies. From the moment their lips touched, he didn't make a single move. Their lips just collided together peacefully. No one made the first move. The crew watched with jaws dropped, and even Knuckles was sitting at his chair, rubbing his hands together, getting more pumped as time went on. That was when Shadow's primal side came out. He pried open Amy's lips with his tongue as he pressed her into the couch further. She moaned and let her fingers pull on his tuff of chest hair. The ebony hedgehog wrapped her tongue with his, and he kissed her harder as their tongues twisted and turned even more together. Amy couldn't tell what was going on anymore as her eyes closed. All she could hear was the sound of their breaths, pants, and moans. He kissed her as though he was going to swallow her up. It was strange that he could only kiss her like this when they were filming. He could poor all of his love and soul into this kiss with the cameras on. After quite some time, the two of them pulled away from each other without breaking eye contact. Shadow took deep breaths and Amy did too, as well as keeping her eyes gently closed.

Just as Knuckles was about to raise his hand to cut the scene, Shadow's hand cupped the side of her face gently. Amy's eyelashes twitched and finally opened slowly. Their eyes finally met again. His hands stroked her face twice as his ruby eyes focused on her jade ones. In that instant, the cold Shadow was gone and Amy could see a more affectionate one. He finally opened his mouth to speak to her,

"Your smile lights up my entire world."

The confession scene was supposed to come after the kiss scene, so instead of stopping Knuckles let it continue, for it seemed Shadow was getting to that part. Staff and crew looked between Knuckles and the set, some of them wanted him to stop before Shadow got too caught up on Amy, some of them wanted the scene to keep going to see what would happen, since none of this was in the script.

"Who knew that Shadow's skills would explode this way ..." Knuckles whispered.

Amy became entranced at Shadow's words. They entered her ears and filled her heart as she found herself holding one of his hands. His hands trembled against her face as he leaned his forehead onto hers. His eyes became filled with a sadness. "You are the brightest thing in my world, please never leave me again, alright?"

Amy was so transfixed she didn't respond. She could only nod as she relaxed into his tough, closing her eyes as did he, and the remained quiet in that scene holding each other. Knuckles jumped up, "DONE! Wow, that was AMAZING you two!"Beautiful, that was beautiful!"

As soon as the scene was done, Shadow shot straight back up, His affectionate side disappearing as he turned away and walked off set. Amy still sat on the sofa, in a daze, not believing what had happened. Rouge smirked at Shadow on his way out and he glared at her, "I'm gonna go take this makeup off..." He then ignored her and Rouge shook her head before flying over to check on Amy with Cream.

"Hey hun, how you doing?" The bat asked. Amy looked up at her, finally coming back to reality. Her heart that was filled with warmth turned cold again as she gave a forced smile, "Oh, I'm fine. Kind of shocking to be honest." Cream rubbed her friends shoulder reassuringly.

"Yeah, Shadow is a little tense to work with sometimes. You should go get the make up off your face and rest. You and Shadow sure look pooped after we had to reshoot so many times because of him." Rouge laughed and Amy actually found herself chuckling.

"Of course, time to wash up and get some dinner." Amy stood up and walked with Cream to wash the makeup off. Cream beamed, "I wish everyone around here was as nice as Rouge is about the whole Shadow thing." Amy nodded, for it seemed Rouge was the only one not sending her death glares or cursing at her for being in a role partnered with Shadow. Speaking of whom, walked right past her as she entered the makeup room. He didn't spare her a glance and as he walked out, Cream turned her head to glare at his back.

"That jerk, hurting my friends feelings like that..." Cream mumbled.

"It's okay Cream, he'll never have those types of feelings, it least, never for me.."


	32. Blaze

The next morning, the bright light from the sun slowly filled up Amy's hotel room. She turned her head up. Her eyes squinted as she tried to force them to open. She let out a yawn as she checked her phone. She didn't have any plans today, and there were no scene's with Shadow either. She didn't know what happened but she didn't sleep very well last night. Who knows if it was because of Shadow or the crew or just all the attention she had been getting? She was knocked out of her thoughts as the shower room opened and Cream walked in humming a tune. She smiled as she took a towel and dried the fur on her ears. As Amy was about to greet her, the pink hedgehog's phone went off. She quickly grabbed it and picked it up, "Hello?"

 _"I'm fifteen minutes away from your hotel lobby. Be ready to get picked up."_

Amy smiled, "Okay." She hung up and looked at Cream, "Blase is in town, wanna join us for breakfast?"

Cream sighed, "I wish I could Amy, but I have a lot of work to get done today..." She opens her brief case of papers, "The life of a manager..."

Amy giggled to herself as she got herself decent before turning to the door. "See you later, Cream." Amy shut the door behind her as she rushed down the hallway and into the elevator. She got in and pushed the first floor button to take her to the lobby. She looked at her phone, she was already five minutes late. She paled as she thought of what Blaze would do to her when she saw her. She tapped her foot impatiently as the elevator descended, and then bolted through as soon as they opened. She rushed to the main lobby and saw an irritated Blaze looking at her with her arms crossed and foot tapping. The purple cat rolled her eyes, "Sis, you're late."

"I know, I'm sorry." Amy puffed, "I didn't know you were coming so early.." She hugged her sister tightly, "I've missed you, Blaze!" Blaze smiled at her "sister" and hooked arms with her, "It's alright, let's go to the car." She pulled the pinkette along as they walked to Blaze's car. Amy opened the car passenger seat door and hopped in. Blaze told her to buckle up and she did, then Blaze sped out of the parking lot. Amy clung to her seat belt for dear life. She turned to Blaze,

"When did you get in?"

"About eleven last night." Blaze's golden eyes trail to her sister then back at the road and she smiles, "How is the married life? How is Sonic treating you?" Besides Amy, everyone from that side of the family thought it was Sonic she had married. She forced a smile and lied.

"We've been doing great." She quickly changed the topic, "Where are we going?"

"To lunch, there's a restaurant just down the mountain. But this afternoon, we're not eating alone. We have another person joining us." Blaze said with a smirk. Amy tilted her head curiously, "Oh? Who is that?"

Blaze blushed a little bit, "Someone who might be my boyfriend." Amy almost jumped out of her seat happily, a wide grin spreading across her face.

"Whoa! When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me about him?"

"Well, I was never too sure. But now I think something might happen." Blaze bit her lip and played with one of her quills.

"Do I know him?"

"Yeah..."

"Is it..."

"Don't start asking me question's Amy! You'll see when we get there." Blaze joked. Amy smiled.

"Alright."

They arrived to the restaurant and stepped out of the door. The two walk arm in arm to the front door with smiles on their faces. The place had a huge fish pond at the front entrance, and it was famous for serving its best brunch. Blaze turned to Amy, "I booked us a private room in advance." She walked up to the one of the waitress's.

"Reservation for Blaze."

The waitress nodded, "This way please, your other guest has already arrived." Amy smiled, as she walked with her purple cat relative and followed the bird mobian. She was about to smile at the joy of meeting someone new, when her lips dropped at the cold expression sitting on Shadow's face.

* * *

Blaze signaled for the waitress to come over as they took their seats. She brought Blaze the menu, and the purple cat instantly gave it over to Shadow. "You go ahead and order first, Shadow." From the moment Shadow entered the room, he never once looked at Blaze. When she passed him the menu, he took it, and then stole a glimpse at Amy. Amy was staring at her lap, twiddling with her fingers, lost in thought. Shadow frowned before passing the menu back to Blaze without looking at her, "I can eat anything, you guys order first."

Blaze smiled and opened the menu between her and Amy, "C'mon Amy, let's order." Amy had been in a daze and woke up at Blaze's voice. She nodded.

"Um, okay."

"Get what you want because Shadow is going to be treating the meal today." Blaze said with a wink towards Shadow. Amy felt her heart sink. Shadow was treating Blaze...? She lifted her face up to make eye contact with Shadow, who looked directly at her then back down at his phone. Amy ordered to random vegetable dishes off the menu. Blaze licked her lips and then ordered some more signature dishes with three cups of orange juice. Ten minutes later their food had arrived. Amy was very grateful. After having to hear Blaze gush and fuss over Shadow she could use a distraction. Blaze started on some chicken right away before noticing that Amy had not started eating. She placed some chicken down on her plate with a smile.

"Try some of this Amy, it's all served from the farm here. It's organic and delicious." Amy forced a smile and then forced the chicken into her mouth. It was great, but for some reason she wasn't happy enough to savor the taste. If it had been only Amy and Shadow here, the meal would have gone by silently. With Blaze, it was just nonstop chatter. Amy sat and ate slowly and quietly, her ears slightly angled downwards. Shadow would just reply to everything Blaze said with "mhm..." and would every now and then glance at Amy. Blaze noticed more of Amy's unusual behavior and stopped eating.

"Amy, what's wrong? You haven't hardly eaten at all?"

Amy nodded, "I'm alright."

Blaze smiled, "That's great. You know, Shadow was the one who told me about this restaurant." Amy at that moment became even more distressed. Amy's fists clenched. At Blaze's words, Shadow looked up and saw how tense Amy's body was. She was fooling Blaze no problem, but not him. He sighed and looked out the window.

"That's not entirely correct." He said, "Sonic and I used to fish over there by that mountain." He pointed over at it, "You went hiking with your friends and later found this restaurant, so Sonic suggested you all eat here." He looked at Amy, not wanting her to misunderstand what happened because Blaze twisted a few words around. Blaze flushed as Shadow exposed her lie and coughed, trying to change the subject.

"So uh, do the two of you have any scenes to shoot today? If not, we could go see a movie? There's that new one that just came out..." Upon realizing this would put Amy through more suffering she shook her head.

"I'm actually busy this afternoon. You two can go to the movies if you want. I wont join in." Blaze took the answer quickly as she turned to Shadow while batting her eyes, "What about you Shadow? Are you free?"

Amy could reply and refuse before Shadow could, which shocked him a little. He sent Blaze a glare that shocked her, "Not interested." Shadow stood up and kicked his chair away, surprising Blaze but not Amy. "Check please." He demanded. He signed as the waitress came back, grabbed his jacket and put it on and then left the private room. Blaze gave Amy a weird look, "What just happened?"

"Uh Blaze..." Amy started, "I thought you said the person we were meeting was supposed to be your boyfriend?"

Blaze looked down at her lap sadly, "Well at first I thought Shadow didn't really like me. But then these past few years we kept bumping into each other, and every now and then we would talk. He told me that only one woman has ever been able to catch his eye. But now that I think about it, I somehow felt that maybe it could have been me that he was interested in all this time."

Little did they know that Shadow had just heard the entire thing.

* * *

Blaze had gone to drop Amy off at the hotel. She gave the pink hedgehog a hug and watched her go inside. As she started her car back up, her passenger door opened. She jumped and got ready to grab her pepper spray to protect herself when she saw Shadow climb in. She released her spray and smiled, "Shadow!"

Before she could say anything he stopped her with his hand by pointing down the street, "Drive down there and then stop."

Blaze was confused on why he was asking her to drive to a quiet and remote place, but then she got all excited. She nodded and put the car in reverse as she back up and then drove to a quiet and remote place away from the hotel. Then she turned off the engine and turned to him as she started untying her top, but his voice cut her to pieces.

"Blaze."

The feeling she got from his tone was not a good one. She stopped and looked up at him with scared eyes.

"I don't ever remember giving you the impression that I liked you." He stated coldly. His eyes were uncaring, but his next statement came out sincerely, "I'm sorry if i ever gave you that impression, but I would like for you to never say again what you just told Amy to her or anyone else. That is false and i will not allow you to go around tainting my name like that."

"You.. heard me talking to Amy?" She asked nervously, "Were you eavesdropping?"

"Maybe I was. But that changes nothing." He glares hard at her, "I didn't have feelings for you then, and I certainly don't have feelings for you now."

She glares hard at him as she forces back tears, "Why Shadow? Ten years and the woman you love is still not with you? If you are not together with her then why bother? Move on and find someone else already, like me!" Shadow growled at her in response. She leaned back, scared by his low growl.

"Even if I did give up on her, that doesn't automatically mean I'm going to love you! Even if I did give up on her, I would NEVER fall for you." Blaze gripped the steering wheel harder, failing at keeping her tears in this time.

"Besides, I would never give up on her."

Blaze bit her lip, a feeling of anger and confusion swirled around her, could it be...? "Shadow, who is the woman that you like." Shadow said nothing but turned to get out of the passenger seat. He opened the door but she grabbed his wrist, "Shadow! Answer my question!" He glared at her sharply.

"You are not worthy enough to know." He pulled his arm from her one last time and stormed back up to the hotel. Blaze wiped the tears from her face as he stormed off, but they just kept falling and falling. Shadow made his way back to his hotel room, harshly putting the key in it. He stormed inside, and passed Tails. Tails blinked and turned back towards him, "Shadow, is everything okay?"

Shadow said nothing but mutter and curse under his breath about how much he hated people sometimes. Tails just laughed at his tantrum and then looked at the watch. "It's noon Shadow, do you want me to order you anything?"

"No, I ate already..." He turned to the fox, "If you're leaving, will you go by Rose's room and tell her to come up here as soon as possible?" Tails nodded and walked out, off to fetch Shadow's girl.


	33. It's raining

Amy had only been in her room for about an hour with Cream, playing a nintendo switch with her when her door knocked. Amy sighed, she couldn't ever catch a break on her day off. She told Cream to go open it. The rabbit scurried along and opened the door, blushing when she saw it was Tails. He smiled gently at her, "Is Amy here? Shadow wants to see her in his room to... "rehearse" their lines." Cream nodded and turned to Amy, "Amy did you hear that?"

Amy threw on some swear pants and a light jacket, "Yeah I heard, what's doom and gloom want now?" Cream giggled at the nickname Amy had picked up for him from Rouge. It was true though.

"Shadow just wants your company. He also hasn't ate I don't think? So could you bring him some food?" Amy nodded and hugged Cream on her way out. She stepped passed the two and out into the hallway. With a goodbye she was off and disappeared behind the corner. Tails turned and gave the rabbit a sly look and she blushed. He stepped into the room, and closed the dorm behind him.

* * *

Amy knocked on Shadows door three times as she approached, her script enclosed in her arm. For some reason she kept thinking about Blaze and Shadow. Was it true? Were they really together? I mean, Amy herself had been living with Shadow for a long time. She thought she had a chance but if Blaze were in the picture now...

Shadow opened the door, and when he saw it was her, he motioned for her to come in, not saying a word as he shut the door behind them. He told her to wait for him, and then he turned to his personal room and went to take a shower. Amy sat nervously and looked around. There were a mess of piles of paper on his coffee desk. She went and arranged all of that for a few minutes, holding the papers to her chest as she aligned them. Then she placed and put them down on the table again. She looked around for something else to do, but found nothing. So she sat on the couch and turned the tv on as she waited for him to return. When Shadow returned he just stared at the back of her head. Amy turned and looked up at him, turning the volume down, "Hey."

"Hey."

"So uh, I had hardly any kind of appetite earlier... Did you want me to order any food?" Shadow pondered for a moment, and then texted his assistant and had him pick up some pizza to bring back for them. He looked back at Amy, "Already taken care of Rose."

"You didn't eat very much either... You don't need to skip meals Shadow." Her eyes furrowed. "It's really important to remember to eat." As she spoke, he just continued to stare at her. She bit her lip, he was probably mad at her for scolding him. She remembered when they first got married that she wouldn't interfere with his life, and now she was doing the exact opposite.

There was a knock on the door and Shadow motioned for Amy to hide in his bedroom. She scurried away quickly and he went to the door. He opened it only to discover Tails had come back. Shadow gave him a look of curiosity, "That was quick."

"I just ordered one from the buffet downstairs and brought it up here." Tails said, "How is everything going?" He handed Shadow the pizza and Shadow took it, trying to look away and hide his blush.

"It's uh, I'm having a hard time talking to her."

"Shadow you should just be honest with her..." Tails said. "It'll be a lot easier if you did. If you don't need me anymore I'm going to go back to Cream-I mean, work on some stuff."

Shadow smirked at the fox, "Right, work on some "stuff."

Tails blushed head to toe and scurried down the hallway back to the rabbit. Shadow shut the door and went back inside. He placed the small thin crust pizza on the counter and looked over to the bedroom, "You can come out now."

Amy poked her head out of Shadows bedroom door, "O-Okay." She stumbled over to Shadow licking her lips as she eyes the cheese and pepperoni, "That looks good." He smiled and put a slice on a plate for her,, then offered it. After that the two of them ate silently. Amy finished her plate and walked over to the sink and began washing it. Shadow stood behind her, then went forward as he pressed his chest up against her back and washed his plate over hers. She blushed a little more, not ready to make eye contact cause she was so nervous. The entire room was silent as Amy braved the waters and lifted her head up to look at Shadow. His ruby orbs were sparkling into hers. Amy stared at him as she felt herself being pulled into a trance. Suddenly they heard little tip taps from the window. They pulled away from each other quickly. Amy looked to the window and saw it had started raining. She ran to it and smiled, "Look Shadow, it's raining." He followed her to the window and stood next to her quietly. He looked at Amy's eyes in the window's reflection, they were sparkling with happiness.

"You like rainy days too?" He asked quietly.

"Yes, I love them."

Amy put her hand on the window and admired the rain some more, before turning to Shadow.

"You like rainy days also?"

"Yeah, I love them too."

"Any particular reason you love them?" Amy turned to face him fully and he smiled down at her. He pulled the window curtain down and sat on the couch, motioning for her to take a seat. She sat next to him and he pulled out a blanket to keep the two warm.

"At first, I really hated rainy days." He admitted, "But afterwards, because of an incident, I really started to like them."

Amy's heart skipped a beat as she realized his reason for liking the rain was the same as hers. She scooted closer, "What incident made you like rainy days?"

"It was the first time I got close to the most important person in my life." Shadow stopped, not wanting to ramble on. Amy had been watching him with such an intense look. He gulped, not wanting to expose himself, "Anyway, never mind, it's not worth mentioning."

"Oh, I thought you were gonna say something like _'you met the girl you liked'_ or something." Amy turned away quickly, not wanting to confront him anymore than that. So she focused on the rain again. She suddenly remembered that he had called her up there and she turned back, "So what did you need from me anyway?"


	34. People Staring

After Amy had said that, Shadow quickly remembered that he was the one who had called her up again. He wanted to tell her that Blaze and he were not a couple, but he didn't want Amy to get the wrong idea since they were forced into this marriage. He thought long and hard before turning away from her, "What about you? I thought you had something to ask me."

"What?" She furrowed her eyes at this point, "Shadow, you're the one who called me up here, what would I even ask?"

"You mean you didn't want to ask me any kind of question when we had brunch with _Blaze_ this morning?" He hinted at what he was trying to get across. Amy felt her spirits leave her at the mention of Blaze's name. She turned and looked out the window, wanting to forget that the morning had even happened. Shadow waited with his arms crossed for her to give an answer. After she still hadn't said anything but continued to look out the glass with her ears pinned to her head, he began to grow impatient. What was he supposed to do with this scenario? He couldn't just let her go off thinking that Blaze and him were a thing when they were not. Regardless of the women who always came around him, Amy was still indifferent. Why was she changing how she acted now?

"Rose, listen to me... about Blaze-"

Amy tensed up and turned to glare at Shadow coldly. She stood up and looked him straight in the eye. "My sister is great, she's pretty and has an amazing background. There is not a single bad thing about her. You are lucky to have her."

Shadow pointed to his bedroom, his anger was going to slip out of control at the accusations, "Go take a bath."

"What?"

"I didn't stutter. Go take a bath rose." He walked over to his window and opened it a little bit, lighting his cigarette. "I'll be out here to talk more when you're done."

She found it weird that he wanted her to take a bath. So she walked off and into the bathroom and bathed. When she was done she returned in the same clothes and but was stopped by him in the entrance of his bedroom door. "You asked me why I called for you, and at this point you should know why. I don't have any other use for you do I? I just want your body, that's all."

Amy predicted that this was going to happen the minute he asked her to take a bath. She gulped and swallowed her fear as the color fell from her face. Shadow seemed oblivious to her body language and started unbuttoning his collar. He threw his shirt on the ground and stomped towards her, backing her away from the bedroom door as he shut it behind him. He then walked passed her, "Don't just stand there, go wait where you're supposed to be." Shadow walked into the bathroom and bathed also. Amy stood where she was, her thoughts piling up in just ten minutes. What would happen if she just tried to run out and head back to her room? What would happen if she stayed?

"I thought I told you to go wait where you're supposed to, or would you rather stay right there?" He asked darkly. He approached her and she tensed up. Her back was still to him as he pressed his chest against her back. His hands grabbed onto her arms and he pulled her to him, tightening the feel of her back to his chest. She was taken by surprise when he leaped forward and muttered into her ear, "Don't you want to learn how to share a husband with Blaze?" Amy was stunned and turned around quickly. He grabbed her waist and pulled her towards him as he backed up to the bed. She fell into his lap as he sat down, his hands pushed her quills away so he could look at her properly, "Rose, you climbed into my bed and you became my woman. And then you go and praise Blaze right in front of me as if you're encouraging me to do it?" Amy tilted her head a bit confused, she didn't know what he was even talking about. Shadow's hand went from her face to grip her chin, forcing her to stare at him and not avert her eyes, "Get this straight Rose. I have no feelings for Blaze."

Amy breathed out a sigh a relief. She let her body relax a little at this new found information as he continued speaking, "I find sharing a person with ones sibling to be disturbing and disgusting. I would never touch Blaze, I do not like her. Even if she tells you I do, it's all been one sided on her end. I will never love Blaze." Amy opened her mouth but Shadow pulled her down gently and claimed her lips in a calm kiss. Amy had no other option but to let him take her again.

* * *

When Shadow had released his seed inside Amy, he sat up and out of breath. Instead of going to cuddle her, he clenched his fist and pulled away from her and opped off the bed. He wrapped himself in a robe and let out a sigh as he grabbed his lighter and cigarette. He turned to Amy who had covered herself in her clothes again before speaking, "Text me if there is any project you want to take on. Modeling, acting, or even an advertisement. If you can't think of one, I'll randomly assign you one." Then he left the room, allowing her the privacy to gather her thoughts. Amy let out a sigh, and fixed her pink quills. Then she got up and grabbed a bottle of water from his fridge and headed towards the door. She turned back to see Shadow smoking outside on his balcony, then opened his front door to his suite and left as she went back to hers. When She got back to her room, it was already late and Cream was asleep. Amy sighed and slid into her own bed, letting the exhaustion and sleep take her.

...

The Next morning she awoke a little bit happier. Shadow had cleared up the confusion with Blaze, so that lifted her spirits. However, even though it seemed like he was being genuine, he still only used her for sex in the end, and that kind of bothered her. She sat up and ran to shower quickly, feeling more energetic than usual. It was six am and she had to be at the set at eight am. She hurriedly got ready and then grabbed Cream, who was already ready, and they left for the filming. When she got there she didn't confront or try to talk to Shadow at all. She stole no glances from him, especially after last night. He also seemed to be in a bad mood that day. Whenever he wasn't shooting scenes, the aura around him was much colder than it had usually been.

For lunch later on the hotel was letting them use the buffet, so after shooting Amy and Cream joked and talked while getting their food in line. When they sat down at a table with other crew members, the conversation they had been having instantly stopped. They all looked at the two, getting quieter and whispering. Amy ignored it, as it was probably some more senseless drama. However, people kept stealing glances at her from all around the room, and Cream was picking up on the weird vibes. Amy picked up on it a bit later and finally looked at Cream, "Did something happen today?"

"I didn't hear anything, but something is definitely up." Cream said back. Just then, out of the corner of her eye, Amy saw a woman pointing at Amy with her fork. She turned to look at the lady who instantly put her hand down. Amy glared at her and then everyone around the room. "Cream, after your meal, go find out what happened please."

Cream nodded. The two of them decided to head back to the room for a break, and upon heading up there they passed a smoke break room, where they heard an ongoing conversation...

 _"I told you Amy didn't get her tole based off her luck or capability. There are so many people with good acting skills, but they literally replaced the second lead female at the last second."_

The voice belonged to Sally no doubt, as she chatted with other actresses.

 _"Girls like her who pretend to be innocent are actually sluts deep down."_

 _"She sure is calm. Either she doesn't know that her shameless act was exposed, or she's just thick skinned."_


	35. One Question

Cream let out a cough as they walked into the room, to let the others know they were in there. The actresses in the room all froze. They looked up at Amy, a bit shocked to see how pissed off she looked. Sally just smirked and stood up and walked out of the room, passing Amy as she did, "Guess you didn't really need to tell me anything after all Amy, it's already on display for everyone to see." Sally walks past her and out into the hall, as the other actresses followed. After that, Amy and Cream were the only ones left.

"Amy?"

"Go online, and find out exactly what happened." Amy said in a dangerous voice. Cream took a step back, for it almost seemed like she was talking to Shadow for a moment. Cream nodded and took her friends hand as they stepped into the elevator to get to their room. Cream read over and over again, before reading out loud, "Amy, someone made an anonymous post on twitter saying you went into Shadow's room during the middle of the night, and it went viral..."

Amy motioned for Cream to hand her the phone so she could see, "It's probably not a big deal, every celebrity has a scandal. It'll be over soon." Cream didn't give Amy the phone out of not wanting to show her what happened, but Amy huffed, "Cream, let me see."

"But Amy, it's going to hurt your feelings."

"Give me the phone!" Amy finally snapped and Cream handed it over. Amy glared at the screen. There were two pictures posted. One of her standing outside of Shadow's hotel room door, and another with her script in her hand. The photo was uploaded at five this morning, only an hour before she got up. She had been so busy though that she had not even checked the internet that morning. So the post, which at this point had been up for 8 hours, already had many views and shares and was even trending.

 **'The Second Female Lead For The Show'**

 _"The second female lead for the show Alluring Times was originally supposed to be Sally Acorn. But at the last moment the role was snatched by Amy Rose. Now the truth has been revealed, the pink seductress sold her body."_

Amy quickly let her eyes read the comments under the article.

 _"Get out of the entertainment industry you whore!"_

 _"This slut how dare she seduce my husband!"_

As Amy continued scrolling, the comments became more mean. Her face darkened, her grip on the phone tightening as she seethed with anger. In that moment, Cream felt like she was looking at a female and pinker version of Shadow. Amy's chest started to rise and fall quickly, her breathing becoming quicker also, her eyes dilated. Cream put a hand on her shoulder, "Do you want me to contacts the publicity team? I can see if them or the PR can get twitter to delete the posts and the headlines."

"Even if it's deleted the people will still remember. This wont go away as easily as I thought. Plus the photo was uploaded at five this morning, right as people would be waking up. Someone definitely planned this out."

"Do you think... it's Sally?" Cream asked.

"Who else could attract the attention of the public like this? Her motive from the beginning was to soil my reputation. She's been trying to convince everyone from the beginning that I got my role through other means. The staff and crew signed a confidentiality contract, so its not them. The waiters were also supposed to sign a privacy act. So who else could it have been?" Amy gritted her teeth, feeling blood on her lips as she pressed them tighter to her canines. As the elevator dings and they get to their floor, she looks forward and pressed on with determination, "I will not let her use me like this."

* * *

"I take it you didn't see it yet."

"See what?" Shadow asked, turning around in his office desk chair. He was smoking again as he looked at the yellow fox curiously. Tails gulped and motioned for him to turn to his computer. Shadow did, awaiting his instructions. Tails let out a sigh, prepared to brace for the worst.

"You're trending on twitter."

"I'm always trending on twitter." Shadow rolled his red eyes.

"The news is a scandal about you and Amy."

Shadow froze, his eyes instantly formed into daggers as they shot to Tails, "WHAT?"

"When Amy came to your room yesterday, someone took a photo of her. They posted it to twitter with a misleading caption, and now everyone is pinging and tagging her and saying things to her. Things that would be inappropriate of me to say."

Shadow tossed his cigarette in the ash tray as he turned to his computer to open twitter. His eyes read comment after comment. He growled under his breath and then threw his entire computer on the floor, "SHIT!" Shadow's mouse broke and made a loud cracking noise, scaring Tails a little bit as he jumped backwards. He looked back at Shadow. There was a burning flame in his eyes, Shadow was extremely pissed.

"Shadow, do you want me to talk to the twitter officials and see if I can get them to delete the post?"

"Yes," Shadow glared at the wall, then picked up his phone, "And then I will handle the rest by myself."

Tails nodded and left. He didn't want to make Shadow madder than he already was. There was work to be done as the fox left the room quickly. Shadow instantly became concerned about Amy's well being. What if she saw all those messages to her. He opened his phone and dialed Amy's number.

 _"Hello?"_

There was something different about her voice today. It was sharper, angrier, annoyed. The moment he heard it he lost all his senses. He wanted to ask if she was alright. He clenched the phone. For years he held back and didn't call her and ignored her. All those years, he had wanted to reach out to her but was too scared, just like he is now.

 _"Shadow?"_

"Oh, uh, sorry. Did you see the news?"

 _"Yes... I'm sorry. I didn't know I was being followed or even photographed. But still, I had my lines with me, I don't understand why someone would try to make a story out of something like me rehearsing my lines. I'm really sorry."_

"I'm not mad at you for the scandal. Tails is taking care of it and I'll be doing my own investigating. Do you have anyone here in the hotel or that we work with who would do something like this?"

 _"... I don't. Give me a second to ask Cream something, I'll be right back, okay?"_

"Okay...?" That was kind of shocking.

On the other end, Amy turned and looked at Cream with a smile. "Recently, were there any shows or promotions or ads that were going to host Sally?"

Cream thought about it, her ears twitching a bit, "I heard there was a popular host show that was inviting her." Amy grinned, then got back on the phone with Shadow a moment later.

 _"I'd like to be Top Mobian's show's guest next week."_

* * *

Shadow stood up and left his hotel room. He made a beeline for the set, ignoring the looks he was receiving from crew and set members and the hotel workers. As he passed Sally Acorn, she gave him a smirk, and something about it instantly irked him. He ignored it though as he went downstairs, exited the hotel and walked to the part of the hotel lot that Rouge was filming today. As he approached she had finished her scene. The white bat had her makeup removed and was heading to her car. Shadow quickly walked over, standing between her and the car. She looked very amused.

"Mr Doom and Gloom, how may I help you?"

Shadow huffed, feeling embarrassed for having to do this, "I need you to help me out."

"Only if you'll sleep with me."

"Not happening you bat."

"Geez Shadow," Rouge opened a bottle of mineral water, "I was just kidding, you're probably to cold to be intimate with anyway." She took a sip of her water, "What if I asked you to give me ten percent of the company's shares. Would you do it?"

"Yes." Shadow agreed without hesitation. Rouge smirked a little at this, becoming more amused by the second.

"Shadow, you know what ten percent means right? It's investors, me, would have a say in the future productions."

"I know."

"And you do know that you only own fifty five percent of the shares in the entertainment industry, right? If you sell it to me, then the company could remove you as the CEO and pick someone else. You've spent years building this company, are you sure you'd be willing to just sell it to me for this one girl?"

"Why are you talking so much! Will you help me or not?!" Shadow huffed and stomped his foot angrily, getting more impatient. Rouge smiled,

"Shadow in all the years I've known you, I've never once seen you ask anyone for help. I remember the first time I met you and the boss of a coal company wanted to be your sugar daddy."

"Oh god, please, don't remind me."

"And I know you didn't agree to it," Rouge continued, "Which is why that investor made your life hell for a long time. During a fight scene, they agreed it would be a fake fight scene. But when they filmed, they hit you over and over again with real punches and you took it. It caused you to be in bed for half a month. I saw how much shit you had to go through, and even though you could have quit, you didn't. As cold blooded as you are, when you get motivated, you look really incredible."

His act having been seen through, Shadow sighed, "Your nonsense is extraordinary today." He turns to walk away from her, done with the conversation. Rouge pulls on his wrist and laughs.

"No! I'm kidding, I really don't want shares." She releases his wrist as he turns to give her an annoyed look. "I just want you to answer one of my questions first."

"What's the question, Rouge?"

"First of all, I think I speak for both of us when I clarify I'm not interested in you. You're too... cold and gloomy for my taste. But do you actually love Amy?"

Shadow was quiet for a moment before he released a deep breath.

"Yes."

"How much do you love her?"

"A lot, a lot more than you could imagine."

"Shadow," She said seriously, "You could have fixed all this without coming to me. Someone in your crew wants to harm Amy. You want to use this career destroying move for Amy's advantage, correct?"

"Yes, I'll find whoever did this, and wish they had never set foot in my industry." Shadow said.

Rouge smirked and pulled out her phone. She opened her twitter app, tagging Amy and Shadow, as she sent out a massive tweet.

 _"Wow, I was in Shadow's room last night too rehearsing lines with them. How come this person didn't capture me on photo and only Amy? They weren't doing anything except discussing the script. People have nothing better to do these days than to spread rumors and create false stories. Can't we just go on happily shooting our scenes? Please and thanks, stop hating on my beautiful friends!"_

Rouge smiled as she sent the massive tweet out. "There, now Amy's name will be cleared, and you will get some free publicity from it. How pitiful though, whoever went through all that hard work to get Amy's name run through the mud, just didn't know who they were messing with."

Shadow nodded and confirmed, "I hate those types of people. You come into my industry to act, not cause me trouble and to stir up drama." He looked around. People nearby were on their phones and looked shocked. Most of them had probably just seen Rouge's newest tweet. Her turned and glared at the bat, "Don't you dare tell anyone that I love Rose. This needs to be between us."

"What did you say? I didn't hearrrrr youuuuu" She put her hand up by her ear teasingly. He muttered under his breath and then turned to walk away before Rouge's phone rang. She grinned from ear to ear. "Hey, Amy's calling me." He quickly turned back around to sit down beside that bat. Grumbling a bit as she answered the phone sweetly, "Hello~"

* * *

Rouge's fans were as powerful as Shadow's. Many of them retweeted her tweet. Knuckles even, being the director, retweeted the tweet as well, standing in to defend Amy. When he did this, all the cast and crew members who wanted to be on his good side also retweeted it. Even Sally felt forced to retweet it. In the end, what would have been endless pages of hate messages towards Amy because people sending hate messages to the ones hating on Amy. The situation resolved quickly as Cream had shown the post to Amy. Amy frowned a bit and was confused. Yes she and Rouge were getting close, however, they weren't that close. Amy grabbed her own phone and called Rouge very quickly.

 _"Hello~"_

"Rouge, I just saw your post. Thank you so much for your help." Amy sounded so grateful and happy over the phone, the complete opposite from how she sounded when she was on the phone with Shadow.

 _"Ah dont thank me, thank - ah, i mean, yes, i mean, it was nothing. I know you wouldn't do something like that. I know there are all kinds of suspicious people on the crew and cast who would do anything like that for attention or if they had something against you."_

Amy raised her eyebrow. Did someone ask her to help out with the situation? She shook her head and pushed it to the side, "Well, thanks to you, all of that is pushed to the side. Let's all hang out and go eat somewhere, it'll be my treat to say thanks."

 _"Of course! You didn't come to my party so you should make it up to me."_ Rouge teased on the other side of the phone.

"Great, I'll set up a time and let you know! Thank you again Rouge!" Amy hang up quickly and fell backwards on her bed, smiling happily.

* * *

Rouge shut her phone and turned to see Shadow still sitting there. He had clearly decided to stay so that he could eavesdrop. Rouge smiled, "Shadow, what are you still doing here?"

Shadow ignored it, "How is she?"

Rouge let a frown fall to her face, "She sounded happy, but at the same time, it sounded like she had been crying before she called me. Maybe because she was so happy to have that out of the news."

"She was crying?" Shadow glared at nothing in particular and Rouge giggled before falling into a pit of laughter, "Oh my gosh, I was just kidding! You should have seen your face!" She wiped a laughing tear away, "She sounded alright, so she should be fine now."

Before Rouge could continue, Shadow said in a dark and low tone, "Crazy bat..." before he left and walked over to his car, getting in and shutting the door. Rouge just smiled.

"You two are so in love, its ridiculous." Rouge muttered to herself.


	36. Sally's Mistake

_"Actually, you don't need to thank you, you should thank..."_

After Amy had hung up the phone when the conversation started, she began to think about what Rouge had started saying. Shadow's family and her own would never help her with this scandal, even if they were behind her one hundred percent. She herself was a new actress in the industry. Most of the crew made fun of her, and her only friends were third rate celebrities. So, the only person who could have been high enough to go to Rouge for help and her willingly accept would have been Shadow. At the thought of it, Amy shivered. While it looked like Rouge posted that to clear things up, she had used her celebrity influence to stir up the conversation. This way, not only did it help her, but it also bashed the person who spread the news in the first place. Amy clenched her heart harder, not understanding why Shadow of all people would have gone to Rouge for help. After all, he said his company would not bail or help her out if anything happened, so why was this happening? She sat up sighing desperately, and Cream gave her a weird look.

"Everything okay Amy?"

"No, I keep having this feeling that Shadow had something to do with Rouge helping me out." Amy confessed, putting a pink quill behind her ear as she looked down at her knees.

"Well, the controversy brought Shadow's name down right? Maybe he only asked Rouge to help clear your name, as it would help clear his too." Cream suggested this, then looked at the clock. It was almost midnight, and Amy had a shoot in the morning. "We should sleep Amy, and be grateful that Miss Rouge was able to help us out." Cream yawned and laid down in her bed. Amy nodded.

"I'm going to shower first." Amy said. She went and hopped in the shower quickly, rinsing her hair and her body, before jumping out just as fast. She wrapped herself in a towel, and walked out of the bathroom to go get clothes when there was a knock at her door. Cream popped her head up, "Amy, will you get that?" The pink hedgehog nodded and opened the door.

Shadow stood on the other side of the door. Amy's green eyes widened and she went to speak but nothing came out. She just stood there starring at him with a towel wrapped around her body and some shower shoes. All that was showing were her shoulders and her legs, from feet to upper thigh. Because of the shower she took, her face was a bit red also. Shadow assumed the worst as his eyes narrowed and he took in her features.

"Amy, who is it?" Cream asked as she walked to the door rubbing her eyes. Cream realized who had been staring at Amy, and stood up politely to great them, despite wanting to punch his face from how he was eye balling her pink friend. "Mr. Shadow, how can we help you?"

Shadow blinked, realized he was being talked to, and nodded. He held out the papers in his hands and handed them to Amy, who clutched the towel around her body closer to her chest. "Sign this contract that we talked about." Amy nodded, took the papers, and went to walk over to the nearest desk to sign it. Shadow eyed her body as she walked. Cream took notice of this.

"Mr. Shadow, would you like to come in for a moment?" He quickly shook his head no. He held a calm posture as he continued to let his eyes stare at Amy. Cream felt it would be polite to leave him standing at the door, so she stood there awkwardly with him as he continued to look at her client like a piece of meat. Amy was standing over at the desk, one hand on her towel to keep it from falling, the other writing and signing on the document. The towel had already been short standing up, so when she bent down Shadow could see her entire upper thighs. Once he saw a piece of her ass, he turned away quickly and stared out the empty hallway.

Amy looked over the contract, making sure she had signed everything correctly, than stood up from the desk and walked back over to Shadow. She handed him the papers, "Here ya go."

Shadow didn't even look at her. He snatched the papers from her coldly as he walked away and down the hallway. After about two seconds, he turned back, and went to their door that they were still standing at. "Don't just stand here naked with the door open." Then slammed it shut loudly as he left, leaving the two friends to stare at each other questioningly.

* * *

The next morning Amy had a shoot with Rouge and Sally. Amy kept thinking about something she had asked Shadow. When she had asked him for the variety show deal, she had asked for it on purpose. As of late, it had been Sally's best form of publicity. Now that she had taken it from the squirrel, she just needed to reveal it to Sally somehow, and luckily that mornings shoot would be the perfect time.

In the show Amy was in, Rouge's character and Sally's character were love rivals while Amy's character was an old friend of Rouge's. Today's scene would be with all three characters. The scene describes a moment where Rouge and Amy meet up for coffee and they happen to bump into Sally. A verbal disagreement comes between Sally and Rouge, and Amy only stares in the background watching behind the bat. The scene would be shot from a nice little cafe scene the crew had put together last minute. When the camera man filmed the first part of Rouge's scene, Amy and Sally stood off to one side, waiting for their signal. However, Cream was also beside Amy, and was furious at having to be standing near Sally. She turned her head to Amy, acting innocently, "Amy," She whispered, "Who do you think spread those awful rumors about you? Who could be so vile?"

Amy smiled at Cream, "It could have been anyone" She knew what her rabbit friend was playing and decided to play along, "We should thank whoever did it though. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be trending on the top ten for every social media site right now." Sally felt a vein pop in her temple as she over heard the two discuss this.

"You're right Amy, you went from just a few thousand follows on twitter last night to almost a few million!" Cream said excitedly. She pulled out her phone and opened twitter, showing it to Amy, "Look, you're about to reach ten million."

Amy smiled and said nothing else, she figured the rest would say what it needed to. Sally's mood had been particularly bad for the past few days, and it irritated her even more that her rival would be going up instead of going down in popularity, after the photos she took.

* * *

 _"But no, that bat had to go in and ruin it. I worked SO hard to end Amy's career, and instead I ended up boosting it."_

On top of this, the squirrel had received a call saying she no longer was the guest on the talk show. Someone had ended up taking her place and she was furious about that, and now Amy and Cream were boasting about the hedgehog's new popularity. She had to sleep with many a people to get on this show, and now she was being replaced by someone she didn't even know. In the end, she slept with a whole bunch of fat men for nothing.

She was shocked out of her thoughts as the director motioned for Amy to come onto the set. She watched the hedgehog move onto the scene with a friendly smile on her face, as she sat down with Rouge as the cameras rolled and the two pretended to be excited and talk about their week as scripted. They shared a few words before it was Sally's turn to enter the stage. The three of them didn't see each other for a few lines, and then Rouge's character had to go to the bathroom. When she went in, she ran into Sally's character. Sally's character fired the shots first, furious as Rouge's character replied with light heated come backs. At that moment, Amy walked over and greeted Sally, trying to cool down the situation. Sally was supposed to ignore Amy as if she wasn't important, and keep yelling at Rouge. However, Amy wanted revenge. She stepped up and greeted Sally, with the same smile she had on earlier when she was talking to Cream. This cause Sally to think unclear as she shot the pink hedgehog a deadly glare.

"CUT!"

Everyone jumped and was out of character for a moment, as they looked at an irritated Knuckles, "Sally, you are supposed to be glaring at Rouge, not Amy!"

"I-I'm sorry, director..." Sally confessed and apologized, "I'll try not to mess up."

"It's fine. Let's go again in ten, everyone take this time to take a breather."

The scene wasn't supposed to be an important scene. Knuckles had hoped to have it done and over with in one take. This is why he gave everyone ten minutes to get it together so they could move on. However, Amy saw it as an important scene, one she would use to get revenge on the squirrel. Amy smiled, took a bottle of water, and headed straight for Sally. She opened up the bottle and held it out for her as the other crew members watched the exchange. Sally looked at Amy as she approached.

"Have some water." Amy said this sweetly, and everyone smiled at how sweet she was being, and then went back to their normal duties. Sally didn't take the water, instead she looked right at Amy with a straight face, "What do you want?"

"I know you took the photo's and posted them." Amy said with a sweeter smile and a gentler tone. "I just thought I would thank you for making me more famous, so I brought you a bottle."

Sally balled her fists, but kept herself calm. She swiped the bottle quickly, "Thank you." And started walking away from the pinkette. But oh no, Amy was not done yet. She walked next to Sally with an even bigger smile on her face.

"That variety show that asked you to guest star cancelled on you, didn't they?" Amy asked with a curious and sweet face. Sally slowed down her steps, taking a gulp as she turned her head slightly to the hedgehog, "How did you know?"

Amy smiled sweetly, patting Sally's shoulder quickly and encouragingly,

"Because the spot of guest host now belongs to me. I took it on purpose." Amy smiled even brighter, and skipped off and away to her manager, while Sally had stopped walking and stared at Amy's retreating figure with fury in her eyes.

 _"That bitch."_

* * *

Rouge had watched the exchange from afar. To the rest of the crew members, it looked like a friendly exchange. To Rouge, there were flames dancing between the two. She smirked, a thought popping into her mind. Her eyes glanced around the room to look for a certain figure, but alas he was not there since he had no scenes to shoot today. She grinned and pulled out her phone.

 _"Shadow, there is a conflict between Amy and Sally happening on set right now."_

* * *

The scene was being redone now. Rouge was still in the perfect stance she was when the first take had happened. Amy however, her spirits and composure were higher now because of what had just happened. Knuckles nodded as this went about and was satisfied with their behavior. He turned to Sally and motioned for her to enter. Sally was furious, so furious that she hadn't even been paying attention. Knuckles motioned for her to enter again, and she still did nothing. Her manager got a bit nervous and gently pushed her forward, and that's when Sally snapped out of it. She walked forward onto the scene and they got up until the moment where Amy once again greets Sally's character. And just like the first time, Sally had viciously stared at Amy.

"CUT CUT CUT!" Knuckles yelled and Sally shot her eyes up to look at him, a bit worried. "Sally, where is your mind right now? The same mistake? Why did you get it wrong TWICE? You are SUPPOSED to be glaring at Rouge, NOT Amy! This scene is so simple, why is this so hard for you?"

Sally got yelled at and it made her flustered. She knew this mistake was on her though and apologized. Knuckles waved his hand, not caring for her apologies. He told make up to come touch up their faces just in case. Rouge smirked at what had happened. She saw Shadow enter the room from afar, oh boy was this going to get interesting. He saw her and approached, so Rouge dispersed the make up team as they all left.

"Shadow, you arrived quicker than I thought." She whispered. "Your hair is a mess and... are you sweating?"

Shadow ignored her as he focused his eyes on Amy who was sitting next to Cream. She was smiling and laughing. There was no conflict on her face. In that instant, Shadow realized he had been played by Rouge. He turned to leave and Rouge laughed, "No, Shadow wait." She stood next to Shadow and looked around cautiously to make sure there were no other ears listening in, "I didn't trick you. She and Sally did get into a quarrel after a break due to Sally's careless acting. But from what I could tell Amy won the conflict. But I'm sure that after this shooting is done, Sally will try to get back at her."

Shadow stopped walking at hearing this, and Rouge smirked then turned around and ran back to set as Knuckles called for her. Shadow sighed and stood near the set and watched what would unfold. It seemed as if the conflict really worsened Sally's mood. Amy would just smile at her right before she went on set, and it would make Sally worse than before. They had to retake so many times, finally Knuckles was tired of it.

"Cut! Sally, can you still even act! This scene is so simple, I don't know how you continue to mess it up!"

"CUT! Sally, I've told you before to ignore Amy! Do you know what the word IGNORE means!?"

"CUT! Sally I can't understand your words, you're mumbling!"

"CUT! Amy didn't even say a thing to you and you jumped your lines too soon!"

People around them started whispering complaints.

 _"What's wrong with her? This is so simple, even I could do it."_

 _"From the start of the series, we've never had to do so many retakes."_

 _"Does she really have any acting skills? She can't even compare to a newbie like Amy, how is she second leading actress in the country under Rouge?"_

 _"Everyone here is wasting time for her. We are going to be here late shooting."_

Retake after retake, it began to become too much to the point that Knuckles threw his microphone to the floor. The entire set fell silent. His face was as red as his coat. He didn't move his lips, just glared at Sally, and held up one finger. One last chance. Perhaps it was because this was her last chance, but for that last scene she forced herself to not make any mistakes and she succeeded. Finally, the shooting came to an end. He let out a sigh, "Pass. Let's move on."

Sally let out a sigh of relief when she realized she still had a job. Her legs gave way and she leaned on the table at the back of the cafe. This was the worst moment of her entire acting career. Sally let out a sigh, that was until she heard a cold voice speak to Knuckles.

"Knuckles, when did your standards become so low?"

Knuckles was so frustrated with the shooting on set, he hadn't even seen Shadow approach from the back. He turned his head to meet Shadow's fiery red gaze. Shadow gazed at the three women on set, then walked over to the monitor. Amy froze also, she had no idea Shadow had been there either. She looked over at Rouge with a curious look, who returned her look with a grin and a pat on the back, "I invited him here to see Sally's little show..." Rouge whispered quietly.

Knuckles stood up instantly and addressed him, "Shadow."

Shadow turned the monitor on, and replayed all of the scenes. His eyebrows furrowed even more as he turned back to Knuckles, "Sally's acting skills are crap. Why have you never mentioned it to me before? I didn't put money into this series for you to make a mockery out of it." His eyes shot towards Sally, "Anyone on the street can act better than her."

Sally paled and Amy grinned at Rouge, realizing what she had done. "Nice job." She whispered back to the bat. Knuckles nodded to Shadow's commentary, "Would you like us to go on with the shoot, and let Sally compose herself and then let her try again?"

* * *

 **To Be Continue**


	37. Swinging Accidents

When Knuckles asked him this question, Shadow's very being became colder. Knuckles nodded and turned to the set, "Sally, you better pull yourself together. We will re shoot this scene later, as for the rest of you, let's move onto the next scene." The next scene was also shot in the cafe. It was a scene between Silver and a third male actor. Rouge and Amy had no more scenes to shoot until later. Amy had went to the bathroom, while Rouge grabbed some water and walked over to Shadow. He looked over at her as she approached but didn't speak.

They both sat there observing Silver's acting for a while before Rouge started talking, "I thought you had left earlier. Why did you stay?"

He side stepped away from her, in which she side stepped towards him. She gave him a sneaky grin, "I see, you came to finish it off." Shadow ignored her, and kept his eyes on the set. Rouge shrugged and watched also, feeling a little bored. She watched as Cream and Amy came out of the bathroom and to their direction. She smirked and whispered to Shadow, "She's coming~"

Shadow didn't know who Rouge was referring to when she said "she," so he glanced out of the corner of his eyes. Rouge saw he kept his composure still and calm but knew he was freaking out on the inside. Rouge's eyes swept over the chair that sat beside Shadow, and she let out a few fits of giggles. Before Amy could reach them, Rouge pointed out the chair next to him, "Do you know who that chair belongs to?"

He didn't answer.

"You came and stood here on purpose didn't you?"

Again, no answer.

"Going so far as to stand directly by her chair... tsk tsk."

Amy's foot steps slowed down as she saw Shadow on the other side. Amy had mixed feelings about everything that had happened recently. There was the scandal, the contract signing, and his attitude at her hotel door. She suddenly grew anxious, and stopped to talk to a celebrity halfway there. They chatted for a few moments, and Amy was going to stand there with her and check her phone, when she realized it was on her chair. She didn't really want to approach Shadow right now, but it seemed she would have no choice. She looked over at Cream, "Grab my phone for me?" In which, the rabbit nodded and headed for the chair.

"Evening Shadow and Rouge." Cream said politely as she grabbed Amy's phone from her bag. They merely nodded to her as she ran back to the pink hedgehog. Rouge looked over at Shadow and noticed there weren't any big changes. She was about to taunt him for being avoided, when she realized his hands had dropped to his sides and curled up into fists. It was then that Rouge saw the sadness hiding behind those red orbs.

* * *

The next few scenes were shot smoothly. Knuckles terrible mood had transformed into one of relief and happiness, and he even praised Silver and the other male actor. However, this ended up hurting Sally's ego, after she received such a humiliating comment from him and Shadow. She had been practically humiliated, and instead left the set on her own after they had shot the last one. She had messed up before in the past, but none of them were like this. She had made so many mistakes she feared it would jeoperdize her career. Until now, she usually stepped on other actors and actresses to get to where she was. However, today, she actually lost to someone. Today, Sally Acorn, had been on the receiving end of disasters.

Disaster One: Amy stole her second female lead spot on the show

Disaster Two: Shadow cleared the scandal to expose Sally and to make Amy look good.

Disaster Three: Amy stole her guest role on Top Mobians host show.

Disaster Four: Today

She had lost to Amy four times in a row. Sally clenched her fists, her hairs on the end of her tail standing up. Everyone was going to be talking about her failure at dinner tonight. She didn't realize which direction she was going in her state of fury as she thought more about it. But eventually she happened upon a grassy scene that the crew was setting up. She didn't know anyone there. She watched them for a while, and just as she was about to leave, everyone there finished what they were doing. No matter who she knew didn't matter, everyone knew her and greeted her as they left. She forced a smile as they all walked by. She looked over at the set once more. It was a beautiful swing surrounded by flowers. Sally smiled at it's beauty, "Is this for filming later?" She asked someone who was passing by.

"Yes, it's for Amy Rose's shoot later."

"Amy? Oh."

There were no more words as the last person left. When she was sure they were all gone, her eyes narrowed.

"This will be your last stunt in hollywood Amy." Sally walked around it to find a sharp stone, then turned back to the swing, an evil smile on her face.

* * *

When it was time for Amy's scene, which surprised her because she thought she was going to be done, it was already dusk. They were so behind on filming due to Sally's acting, but Amy tried her best to stay awake. This scene only needed Amy in it. The setting for this scene was Amy as she held onto the swing tightly, moving forward and backward on it gently. In this scene, the character was coming to terms with the fact that the second male lead would never love her. She had went to the swing he had built her, and thought about their past. The scene had no lines, it would all be portrayed through her facial expressions. For Amy, it wasn't too difficult. She closed her eyes, getting into character from the sidelines, and waited until she had heard Knuckles gesture for her to begin.

Amy walked over to the swing cautiously with an infatuated look. Her fingers lightly grasped the room in between her fingers, as she stared at the rope in her hands. Slowly, she moved around and sat gently on the seat of the swing. She stayed silent on the swing, then slowly started to rock back and forth.

"Great, beautiful, that's it." Knuckles nodded encouragingly.

The next scene, Amy had to swing high with her eyes shut as she smiled against the wind. For this, the crew had to push her forwards from behind to get her in the air. They got the cameras ready, Amy holding on and smiling as the crew started doing small pushes from behind her. Suddenly, the pushed harder, and Amy swung higher with an even brighter smile on her face. Knuckles gave her a thumbs up, and as he yelled cut, the rope to the swing snapped off at the highest point. Amy tried to regain her balance but fell off with a scream, her eyes widening. Her body fell forward and onto the ground.

* * *

...

...

...

Kncukles froze in his place as he saw the swing snap, "Amy!" Everyone else who hadn't been paying attention had looked over when Amy screamed. Even Rouge who had been on her phone jumped when she heard the scream. She looked over at Shadow who had been watching the scene take place. One minute he was beside her, the next he leeped forward towards the set. He leaped towards Amy and collided with her, rolling himself under to break her fall. Everyone on the set froze at the accident. Amy felt dazed, the pain she was anticipating never came. She didn't move for the longest time. Shadow also was a little dizzy from her fall. Suddenly, he sat up, helping her up as well. The blood drained from his face as he looked at her with concern, "Ms. Rose?"

Amy's eyes snapped open when she realized she was being spoken to. She looked up into Shadow's red eyes and realized he had jumped up to save her. She was still in shock, fear written all over her face. His hand reached up to pat her face, when he realized blood had started to drip from her forehead. His hands started to tremble, his body started shaking. Amy also felt the ooze run down her fur, as she let her eyes meet at her nose. Kncukles snapped out of it and ran straight to the. One after another, people started flocking to the pair. Knuckles looked at Amy's face, and he was surprised to see Amy's face with fear on it.

"Shadow-"

He snapped immediately.

"SHADOW WHAT? EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU ARE JUST STANDING THERE. SOMEONE GET THE CAR READY TO TAKE HER TO THE HOSPITAL!"

Knuckles jumped and immediately nodded, turning to run and get his own personal car. People who were still around them froze, too scared to make a single movement. Amy snapped back to reality, "Hospital? Shadow, I'm fine..." She stopped however when she saw his face. He was pale, eyes worried and confused, as though he were scared to lose something important. That instant, Amy fell into a daze, as she dreamingly stared at his face.

Cream came and scurried over, putting a hand on her friends shoulder, "Amy, are you okay?" Amy turned and started talking to the rabbit, while Shadow looked over Amy to make sure she didn't have any serious injuries. When he saw it was nothing serious, he let out a sigh of relief. He gathered his emotions again and was back to his calm and stoic self. Amy took notice of this but said nothing as she tried to assure her friend that she was okay.

"Are you really okay?" Rouge had asked as she approached them with a smirk on her face, "Try to stand and walk."

That was when Amy realized she was still in Shadow's arms, and she hurriedly jumped out of them blushing. She quickly moved over to her friends, "See, I'm okay."

"Amy, you could have really gotten hurt. You should thank Shadow for saving you, otherwise you could have been paralyzed." Cream said this in a worried motherly voice. Amy nodded and turned to Shadow, a small smile on her face.

"Thanks."

His heart beatened quickly and he turned away just as Knuckles came back huffing. "The car is ready Shadow." Shadow nodded and stood up, looking at Amy as if motioning for her to go with the director. She paled and laughed.

"I don't need to go to the hospital, honestly I'm fine."

"Fine!?" Rouge was the one mad this time, "Amy!" Her wings flap quickly, "Your forehead is bleeding, and from that height you might have gotten a concussion. You need to go to the hospital."

Amy held her forehead, "It's really nothing. It'll heal up in two days with no scar at all. I really don't need to go to the hospital."

Knuckles couldn't make the call so he looked over to Shadow, "What is your decision?"

"Ms. Rose, go to the hospital."

"But, Shadow-"

"No buts!" He stomped his foot and Amy cowered a bit, "You have just had an accident and you are a part of the cast I've invested in. You may say that you are fine and don't need to go, but if you turn around later for a check up and something comes up, than it will look bad on me."

"But... Shadow..." She said quiter.

"Need I remind you that you are signed under a contract? If you don't go to the hospital after this incident, I certainly don't want to her scandals about abuse from other artists!" In other words, he would not be able to help her investigate who had done this any further if there was not a documented report from the hospital. Amy's eyes widened as he said this, and nodded. Shadow took his car keys from Knuckles and grabbed Amy by the arm. He started to stomp off with her when he turned back to Knuckles, "Before I get back, figure out how this happened. I need an explanation for how a swing rope like this could so easily break after all the scandals that have been going on."

* * *

It was a two and a half hour drive to the hospital and Shadow and Amy didn't hardly speak a word. He didn't even give her time to breathe as they approached. He pulled into a parking space and turned the car off and immediately went to her side of the door and pulled her out. She flushed and just let him pull her around. He pulled her to the emergency room, signed them in, and looked straight at the doctor, "I need her to have a full body check right now!" They nodded and took her away immediately, leaving him in an empty hallway outside her room. He sat there for a good hour and a half. Suddenly, a sharp pain hit the bottom left of his back and he flinced. He sighed and began to take out a cigarette from his pocket before he noticed there was a "no smoking" sign in the hallway. He let out a groan and put the cigarette back into his pocket. Then he pulled out his phone and texted Tails, and told him to bring a thing of scar medicine to the hospital. Because Tails was already in the city, he hurriedly stopped by and was able to bring it. Amy was still in the room getting checked on.

"Shadow, this bottle is almost empty. All that's left is this one bottle. If you give this to Amy, you won't have any for yourself."

Shadow had gotten the medicine back a few years ago at a shoot in Oregon. He had bought it from an old doctor. It was a traditional scar removal ointment that worked like a charm. But none the less, he shoved the bottle into his pocket, "If we ever go back to Oregon we'll just get some more."

Tails nodded, and waited along side Shadow, waiting to hear the news about Amy, as he kept Cream updated on her condition.

As it turned out, there was nothing wrong. Shadow still had them run multiple tests on her, but nothing came back as serious or life threatening. She shoved the documents into her bag as he pushed her out the door of the entrance. As they got into the car, Amy noticed that he was taking her home, the complete opposite direction from the shooting.

"Shadow, why are you taking me home?"

"You need to go home and rest."

"But I'm fine."

His eyes shot over to look at her, "We don't know if the incident on scene was an accident or on purpose. I don't want it to be a purposeful attempt and that person try to come back for you if we return. Right now, it is safe if you stayed at home."

Amy tried to argue, but she realized he was right. Too many things were happening to her, it couldn't be a coincedence that the swing broke.

As they pulled up to the house, Vanilla was already waiting for them. Amy thanked Shadow and stepped out of the car as she greeted Vanilla. Shadow rolled down the window, holding out the ointment bottle, "Amy, take this."

Amy stared at his hands, "The doctor said it wouldn't leave a scar..."

"Why are you refusing this bottle? Is it because it is me that is offering it to you?" He asked suddenly. Amy blushed and turned her head to look away awkwardly. "Need I remind you, again, that if it does leave a scar, you are an actress, and part of your job is having a pretty face. Please just take the medicine."

Amy still said nothing and refused to grab the bottle. He looked at Vanilla, "Please make sure she uses this." Vanilla nodded as she took the medicine from Shadow's hands.

"I've already prepared dinner. Will you join Amy and I for dinner?" Vanilla asked sweetly.

"No, I won't be returning tonight." Shadow stated. Then he turned and sped out of the driveway. Amy smiled and put a hand on Vanilla's shoulder as the rabbit frowned.

"Let's go inside and have some of that food you made."

* * *

After dinner Amy began walking upstairs. Vanilla chased after her and outstretched her hand, "Ms, Shadow's ointment for you." Amy stared at the bottle for a while and sighed defeatedly as she took it. If she didn't take it, it might end up having Cream get in trouble and she didn't want that. She said her goodnights as she made her way up to her bedroom. She walked into her bedroom and stripped of her clothes and then went and hopped into the shower. Then when she was done she fell into her bed. She left the medicine bottle on the headboard and turned the lights off and snuggled into her covers. Her mind couldn't stop thinking about what all had happened that day. Why did Shadow save her? Why did he look so worried? Why did he care so much about her taking this scar removal ointment? The more she thought about it, the more confused she was. She held the vile close to her body, as sadness and happiness and confusion took over.

* * *

...

...

...

* * *

Shadow drove straight towards the mansion on the mountain. The mountain was empty with not a single trace or soul on it. He got out of his car and walked into the mansion after typing in the password. He walked straight into the kitchen to grab some water, then, as he took off the black jacket of his suit, he followed through with his white business shirt. He looked down at the clothes, with the intent of hanging them up for the next day, when his eyes met red blood on the back of his white shirt.


	38. Karoake with Shadow

Shadow growled and threw his white shirt into the laundry basket. He made his way upstairs and looked in the medicine box in his bathroom. He found cotton swabs and used all of his strength to stretch out his arm and clean his back. He winced at the pain. There were some places he wasn't able to reach so he had to give up on those. He closed the box and stood half naked in front of his bathroom mirror. His mind wandered to Amy and wondered if she was really alright and if she did take and use the medicine. Suddenly his phone went off and he jumped up. He walked over to his phone that was on the bed and saw that it was a call from Knuckles. He quickly opened it.

 _"Shadow, about the swinging incident this afternoon, it's been investigated. When the stage prop crew were preparing the props, they didn't notice that the rope was thinned out. I already gave them a good yelling, so how would you like to proceed with this incident?"_

Shadow had a different suspicion when this came up, "Are you sure you investigated thoroughly?"

 _"People from the stage prop crew said so themselves."_

Shadow clenched the phone to his cheek, knowing it wasn't true. Something was up, but for now he would act like it was okay, "Since you said it was investigated thoroughly, I'll leave it to you to handle."

 _"Would you like me to fire them?"_

"Like I said, it's up to you, but a situation like this better not ever happen again."

* * *

Knuckles let out a sigh of relief as Shadow hung up. He turned his head and looked at Producer Robotnik and Sally Acorn. He glared over at Sally, "You of all people know Shadow doesn't like conflicts on his set. This time, for Robotnik's sake, I helped you cover this up. But if this happens again, Shadow will know everything."

Sally smiled sweetly at Knuckles, "Thank you director." Her hand trailed over the top of Robotnik's fat thigh.

* * *

...

...

...

* * *

Even though there was a big incident with the swing, the next day shooting had resumed. Amy and Shadow had scenes to shoot that afternoon, and the scene was to be shot in the city. Amy's character had just found out that Shadow's character would be coming back for overseas, so they had planned to meet up. The two of them got in touch again, so Amy's character was a little dazed as she walked down the street. Shadow would see her, and follow her. She was about to cross the road, almost hit by an oncoming car in the midst of her mindlessness, as Shadow grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her out of the busy street, back onto the sidewalk.

Everything was fine until Shadow went to grab her wrist, his hand pausing in the air. Knuckles yelled cut, then asked him, "Why did you pause?"

Shadow apologized, "Sorry, let's go again."

This time, he succeeded in grabbing her hand and pulling her to him. When she turned to look at him, she could sense something was off. She couldn't tell what, but from her end it looked like his teeth were gritting for about a second. The two of them stared into each others eyes for about ten seconds before Knuckles cut the scene, "Great job, let's move onto the next scene."

But during those ten seconds, it was like their minds were having a conversation with each other.

 _"What's wrong?"_

 _"Nothing."_

 _"Are you hurt?"_

Shadow pulled away from Amy, and she watched him go. He strode over to Tails, who handed him a water bottle. Shadow said nothing but kept going towards his personal van, sliding the door open and sitting inside. Tails was worried and followed him to the van. He saw Shadow with a sick complexion. His eyes trailed over his blue shirt, noticing little red dots on the outside. "Shadow, why is there blood on your back?"

"Fuck." Shadow whispered. He took the shirt off his back, revealing the deep and nasty gash on his fur. Tails jumped, "Shadow, why didn't you tell me you were this hurt!?" The fox started looking for some ointment through his bags. He went to the car keys, "I'll take you to the hospital."

"Don't you dare." Shadow glared at him, "No. And don't you dare tell anyone I'm injured either."

"If you start sweating, then it will get infected." Tails tried to persuade him, but Shadow shook his head.

"No, but I do need you to do something for me." Shadow looked over the set, "I need you to investigate and figure out what exactly happened with the swing yesterday."

"Didn't Knuckles say it was because of the carelessness of the crew?"

"If I believed what the director said to be true, do you think I would have asked you to look into it?" Shadow looked over at the fox, who nodded.

"Leave it to me."

Shadow was silent for a moment, before opening his mouth, "Silver is supposed to be treating everyone to dinner tonight right?"

"Yes, he just received some type of grammy or something. So he said he was going to treat everyone as a way to celebrate." Tails looked at Shadow's back again, "With your back, you shouldn't attend. You shouldn't drink alcohol either."

"It's not a big deal." Shadow said again, then pointed to the back seat, "Grab me a shirt from in there."

* * *

Silver booked a big party room at a buffet place. Everyone in the crew turned up. When Cream and Amy had gotten there, they were the last ones to show up. The sofa's in the party room were packed. Upon seeing her enter, Silver's eyes lit up as he walked around the room to greet her with a kiss to her cheek. She smiled at him and Shadow could only glare from the other end of the room. Silver smirked when he felt Shadow's glare from the side of the room. He put a hand on Amy's waist and pointed to Shadow, "Look, there's a spot open by Shadow. Go ahead and sit on in wont ya?"

Amy gulped and nodded. She gathered the courage she had and forced her legs to walk over to Shadow and sit beside him, Cream on her other side. Now that everyone was here, Silver walked over to the center of the party room. He grabbed his microphone and gave a few polite thank you's before smirking. He held up a glass of wine, "But before we toast, we are still waiting on one more person."

"Who is it," Rouge teased, "Your girlfriend?" Some people snickered at her comment and he smiled back.

"Yes, it is."

In that instant, the room became alive at the new voice at the door. Amy hadn't been paying attention. She wasn't all that close to Silver really, so she didn't really care as she played on her phone. However, as the female walked through the crowds and linked her arm with Silver's, people began to talk about how pretty Silver's girlfriend was. Amy curiously looked up, and then tensed. Her eyes widened. Shadow felt her tense next to him and he turned to look at her, "What is it?" He then looked up, and his eyes narrowed at the figure and he growled.

"Everyone, this is my girlfriend, please let me introduce you to... Blaze." Silvers arms wrapped around Blaze's waist as he pulled her closer. Amy's mind was blown as she realized this was her cousin. She was completely confused. Not too long ago Blaze was in love with Shadow. How come she is now together with Silver?

"Well, she moved on fast." Shadow commented. Amy had to hold back a laugh for a moment. Blaze saw Amy, and her eyes brightened. She ran over and hugged her immediately, bringing all the attention with her. "Cousin Amy!" Amy smiled and hugged Blaze back.

"Wow," Rouge turned to Silver, "What a coincidence you'd end up dating a crew members relative."

Amy decided not to ask Blaze how she started dating Silver, as the cat went and took a seat next to Silver. Amy watched as Blaze talked on and on for many minutes to people. She was a good people person as she answered their personal questions. Amy just quietly sat next to Shadow as she watched the scene unfold before her. People began chatting away, all she could hear was drinking, singing, and laughing. All this commotion seemed to have no affect on Shadow at all as he played on his phone. Amy turned and snuck a peak, and saw he was looking over business reports. Even in a noisy place like this, he was working.

* * *

Amy sat in the party room bored for a while before she stood up to excuse herself to go to the bathroom. As she entered, she saw Blaze in there fixing her hair and make up. Blaze looked over and smiled at her, "Amy!" She patted her on the head and Amy smiled, "Blaze." She fixed her patted hair and looked over at the cat,

"Hey, how did you and Silver get together? I thought you liked Shadow."

Just the mention of his name made Blaze's face fall. "Well, me and Silver met at a charity event a couple of weeks ago. We exchanged cell phone numbers and met up for a date or two and then started becoming an official couple." She then thought back to her rejection with Shadow, "And with Shadow, he said he has someone he likes, and that it isn't me. There's no point in me going after someone who doesn't share my feelings." The same suspicious feeling ate her up again, and she turned to look at Amy, "You wouldn't happen to know who he likes would you?"

Amy shook her head no, "I don't, sorry."

"Forget it then." Blaze shrugged, "We can talk about it more when the party is over, okay? I have to pee, I'll be right out." Amy nodded and stepped out of the bathroom, and went back to Shadow. Blaze entered a stall, but unbeknownst to her, Sally was in a neighboring stall.

 _'So I cut the swing to hurt Amy and she ends up being fine. Than Shadow starts an investigation and I have to sleep with the fat man multiple times before I can convince him to cover up for me. Than I have to pay off all the crew members so they don't rat me out... It seems the more I try to crush Amy, the more bad luck i find myself in. But, I wonder, if Blaze still likes Shadow, maybe I can turn some of this around a bit more."_

Sally stepped out of the stall and waited for Blaze to step out of hers. The squirrel leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. Soon, Blaze came out of the stall and went to the sink to wash her hands. Sally watched, and as Blaze reached for the paper towels to dry her hands, Sally stepped out of the Shadow's, "Ms. Blaze."

Blaze turned and smiled at Sally, "Yes, may I help you?"

Sally smirked evily inside her head, but on the outside she gave her a sweet smile, "My name is Sally. You want to know who Shadow likes right? I can easily tell you."

Blaze raised an eyebrow at the squirrel, "Oh, you do?"

"Mhm," The squirrel stands next to the cat, "I don't know how often you check twitters most trending. Amy and Shadow made it to the top most searched. She went to Shadow's room late at night and didn't come out for quite a few hours."

Blaze wasn't stupid. After hearing Sally say it the way she did, her eyes narrowed. "In your entertainment industry, how much of your news is real? They're all a bunch of false rumors. And as for Amy, well, I know her better than you."

Sally bit her lip, it seems the family had a tendency to see through things, "How are you sure the person Shadow likes isn't Amy then?"

Blaze turned and took a dangerous step towards Sally, "If I'm not wrong, you're Sally Acorn right?" Sally took a step back, blinked, and said nothing but nodded. Blaze continued as she stepped closer, "I'm not in the entertainment industry, and I don't know much about what goes on inside it. However, I do know that Amy is like my sister. And, if I'm not mistaken, my Amy took your second female lead from you. Based on that point alone, no matter what you say to me, I will always think you have an ulterior motive. What makes you think that I will be so quick to believe you over Amy?" Blaze turned on her heel and went to leave, so Sally tried one more desperate attempt.

"Last night! Last night there was an incident. She fell from the swing on one of the sets, and Shadow didn't hesitate for one moment to catch her. He even sent her to the hospital. Because of her, he was in a fit of rage and fired the entire stage prop crew!" Blaze turned, a new kind of fire in her eyes as she grabbed Sally by the front of her shirt.

"Now you listen the hell here," Blaze hissed, "I don't care what your motive is. But let me warn you right now, if you even as much as mess with Amy, it will be the end of you. There is nothing in the world more important to me than Amy. If I find out that you have mistreated Amy, either in the past or future, you can gaurentee that I will do everything in my power to have you kicked out of the entertainment industry. Do you understand?"

Sally nodded quickly, her face over coming with worry. Blaze gave her a smile, "Than we're all good here." She released the squirrel and turned on her heels as she exited the bathroom.

* * *

When Blaze returned, she got a group of people to play her on twist of rock paper scissors. If you lost, you had to do a truth or dare. Ever since they were little, that's all Blaze ever wanted to play. The room was filled with laughter, and suddenly it became Amy's turn. She summoned rock, and lost every time to each person.

"Amy, truth or dare? If you pick truth, you have to tell us the name of your first love. If dare, you have to go out and kiss the first man you see!" One of the crew members said this to her and her tail wiggled uncomfortably. Shadow from afar heard the two options. Normally he didn't join these types of games, so naturally the group had excluded him, but after hearing what Amy would have to do, he leaned forward. Everyone stared at him in disbelief. Blaze watched him with shocked eyes, her tail twitching. Shadow turned to Amy with a plain and boring look on his face.

"Bring it."

She smirked in return. The pink hedgehog and the black one both outstretched their arms as the countdown started.

3!

Amy remembered how much she hated playing this game in school.

2!

But then she remembered why she loved it.

1!

Because she could always beat Shadow at it.

* * *

"Oh Shadow!" Rouge teased, "You lost~ It's truth or dare time, and don't forget to take three shots before you do~" She turned to the group, "What kind of question should we ask Shadow, or if he doesn't want truth, what should we dare him to do?"

It wasn't just the people in the room but everyone in the world who were most curious about the dating history of the lonesome Shadow.

Perhaps it was because everyone had a little to drink that they were a little more courageous... Or perhaps it was because everyone felt a little closer to him after he joined their games... With the help of a little alcohol, someone asked, "Shadow, do you have some you like? When did you start to like them?"

The entire room fell silent. Amy, Rouge, and Blaze all leaned in, paying a bit more attention than the others. Shadow took three shots, downing them quickly as he ignored Tails advisory against drinking with his back injury. He looked up at them all with a cold and straight face.

"I noticed her in the first half of the third year of middle school. At first, she was just someone I noticed. Then I started noticing her a second time, a third time, and so on." He said nothing else after this. Amy felt sadness in her heart as she watched him say this. It had to have been someone they went to school with then. Blaze's eyes looked over at Amy for a moment, Sally's words starting to pull at her heart strings. Then they settled on Shadow.

"Who would have known that Shadow would be so persistant when it came to love?" Blaze said, her eyes giving off a suspicious look. Shadow ignored her as Rouge tagged in.

"She must be lucky if she has Shadow still attached after ten years." A vein popped in the black hedgehogs head as he could feel Rouge look from Amy to him. He ignored her though, and did his best to focus on something else. As the game went on, Amy felt herself getting to know him better as she lost more rounds against others, but won hers against him, making Shadow the loser and the person everytime.

 **"Do you still like the woman?"**

"Yes."

 **"Did you ever get with her?"**

"No."

 **"Have you ever confessed to her?"**

"Wanted to but couldn't bring myself to do it."

And finally, someone asked the question.

 **Mr. Shadow, what is the name of the woman you like?"**

Shadow smirked and downed three more shots of alcohol, before standing up, walking a little tipsy, "I'll sing you guys a song."

 **"Ah, he's choosing to take his dare."**

Shadow stood up on the stage, his voice coming out in slurs as he confessed his love for Amy through song. The microphone picked up his flawless voice aside from being a bit slurred. His eyes stared deep into Amy's as he sang, everyone else was too drunk to notice what he was doing also. Amy flushed a little but pushed the thought away as he continued to sing. However, Blaze, from her seat, saw the exchange. Something made this feeling in her heart errupt even more.

Maybe the Squirrel was right.


	39. How did you get this?

Shadow tightened his grip on the microphone, tried to suppress his feelings, and then ended the song on a perfect high note. Once finished, silence took over the room. No one spoke, no one said a single word or made a single sound. It felt like the room was empty. Amy could see in his eyes, anticipation, despair, struggle... All of this she saw, and then sorrow filled her heart. After a few more minutes of silence, Shadow placed the mircophone on the table and proceeded to leave the room. People snapped out of their trances, but the room still remained a bit silent. No one said much after he left. Silver stared at Shadow's retreating figure before speaking, "This is the intro theme song for the movie that me and Shadow stared in four years ago when I started the entertainment industry."

People who had been a part of making that movie or who had been in it started to not with him, also making their own comments.

"At that time we were filming in the desert. Everyone had to squeeze in together and share tents. I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night when I saw Shadow outside smoking with his ear buds in." This person paused momentarily, "I never told anyone this, but I tapped on his shoulder, and when he turned to look at me his eyes looked like they were red from crying. This song was blasting out of his head phones. He got up and left quickly, and I saw in the sand he had written 'Happy Birthday' with a stick. I never knew someone like him could love someone for so long."

"I once heard a rumor that Shadow didn't smoke in the past, but something happened and then he started to pick it up. Anytime I see him he's either standing in a corner alone or standing in a corner alone smoking."

"He mentioned that he still remembers his first love. I don't even remember my first love, what about you guys?"

"First love? I only remember my first one night stand."

"I remember my first love. I always put a piece of candy in her locker everyday before she could come into the room."

"I bullied my first love to the point where she went to the teacher and then my parents gave me a spanking."

Laughter erupted and the room was filled with commotion once again. Shadow stood outside of the party room, leaning against the wall listening to them all while he smoked. He then heard Rouge's voice, as she spoke.

"What about you, Amy? Who was your first love?" Rouge smirked, knowing Shadow would still be within ears reach. He froze at the door, waiting to hear her answer. Amy smiled at everyone as they leaned forward to listen. Blaze quirked an eyebrow, wanting to know as well.

"My first live isn't as interesting as all of yours. He was a crush that I loved for many years. I studied hard to get put in the same class as him, and after that I studied even harder to go to the same college as him."

"Wow, never saw you as a scholar Amy." Rouge commented, "So then, why did you decide to go into the entertainment industry?" Before Amy could answer, someone's phone went off. They had looked down and mentioned that it was way past midnight. Everyone realized they needed to get to sleep, this made Amy grateful. Shadow put out his cigarette by the door and then left quickly before he could be seen.

He had wrote nothing on his paper to get bumped down into her class, yet she studied harder to get put in his for someone else.

He had decided to go to her original college of choice to be closer to her, and she had gotten to a different one for someone else.

His eyes starting to sting as the tears pricked the corner of his eyes. He said nothing as he made his way to his car.

Amy ended up calling a cab for Blaze and Silver, helping them in as best as she could before turning to Cream with a smile. Cream helped a tipsy Amy over to her own car, sliding her into the passenger seat as she started the car. She took off towards Amy and Shadows villa, then proceeded to drop her off. They said their goodbyes as Amy looked at the house. The lights were off again, that means Vanilla must be sleeping. She snuck into the door, careful not to wake up Vanilla as she entered the house. Amy went upstairs and showered, before heading to turn the lights off. Just as she was about to do this, she heard a car pulling up into the driveway. She ran over to the window to see Shadow pulling up in his car. He didn't even open the garage, just parked it in front of the house. She knew the minute he stood up and out of the car he was drunk. She saw him staggering and then the doorbell rang. Amy jumped and ran down the stairs. She saw Vanilla had already woke up and was at the door. She opened it, and Shadow stumbled inside muttering. He didn't take his shoes off or anything. Vanilla turned to look at Amy.

"Go ahead and get some sleep Vanilla, I'll take care of him." Amy gave Vanilla a pat on the shoulder and she nodded as she turned away and went back to her room. She followed Shadow up the stairs to his bedroom. He lied down on the bed as he stared up at the ceiling. She sauntered over to him and crossed her arms, her green eyes filled with worry. He ignored her presence and shut his eyes. Amy sighed and leaned down, taking off his socks and shoes. "Let's get you in the shower..."

He ignored her, still sitting on the bed motionless. She bit her lip and let out a frustrated growl, "Fine. I'll go start a bath for you." She turned to go to the bathroom, when his hands shot out and grabbed her wrists. She was shocked momentarily, as he pulled her back to him. He switched their places and pinned her to the bed as he leaned down and kissed her.

She was so shocked, she didn't really have any time at all to respond to his advances. He pressed against her and kissed her harder as though he wanted to consume her. After a while he pulled away from her as the two tried to catch their breath. His red eyes stared into her green ones for a while before he beant down to kiss her again. This kiss was more gentle than the others. He kissed her softer this time and with more care. She responded and tangled her hands into his black quills. His kisses went from her mouth and then started trailing down her neck. There, he bit down gently, causing her to mew. He started to suck on her neck fur as he ran his tongue over it. He moved up to her ears and started nibbling on those before whispering into them, "Why can't it be me?"

The two of them had stopped their advances. Amy looked up at him confused, while he lay still and motionless on top of her again. She tried to move from under him but he put a hand on her shoulder and kept her pressed down, "Why can't it be me?" He asked again. Soon after Amy felt her neck become wet. She realized Shadow was crying into her neck and her heart began to hurt. Shadow took a deep breathe as he buried his face further into her neck, holding her hands to his closely,

"Why can't it be me? Why am I not the one you love?"

Amy's mind did a click. She assumed he was meaning to say these words for the woman he loved and not her. Her heart filled up with sorrow. It was painful and she stopped breathing. He tightened his grip more. He covered her lips with his again, and this became a distraction for her. The two tumbled on the sheets together as they stripped of their clothing. She let out a cry when he entered her, and their hands and fingers intertwined.

* * *

...

...

...

* * *

Shadow had fallen asleep with Amy in his arms again. From Amy's memory, she could only remember one time where she and Shadow had slept together and he had held her afterwards, and that was when he had a fever. But now she finally knew, just like that night, tonight he had only slept with her because he must have mistaken her for the woman he loved. Perhaps the position was too uncomfortable, for Shadow, who was embracing Amy, slightly shifted his body, pressing her even tighter to himself. His chin coincidently was on top of her forehead, and he lightly rubbed her hair. Then, he lowered his head again and gave her long hair two pecks. After feeling satisfied, he muttered disorientated, "You don't even know how long I've been waiting for you..."

Shadow's voice grew fainter. Then, eventually, it disappeared completely. During the party, even though every one of his answers were short, they were filled with his unwavering love for the woman he loved. Amy sat by his side, every time she heard his response, she felt a knife brutally stab her heart. Now intoxicated, his words were full of deep emotions, which was even more hurtful. QAmy tightly balled up her fists, forcing herself not to tremble. Yet, a wetness gradually surfaced in the corner of her eye. She had always craved for his embrace, but now, she had learned that it could be so very painful. Amy shut her eyes, wanting to rip herself away from Shadow's body. However, he seemingly felt something, and held her tighter. The bedroom was silent. All that could be heard was the ticking of the clock on the wall. Shadow's breathing gradually grew long and calm, as though he was already deep in sleep. But Amy wasn't the least bit sleepy, tears flowing uncontrollably from the corners of her eyes.

The next morning she was woken up by Amy's phone. The pink hedgehog's eyes opened slowly. She reached for her phone on her bedside table and flipped it open, "Hello?"

"Amy, are you awake? Did you forget you have a scene to shoot this afternoon?" Cream's voice woke her up suddenly. "I'm almost to your house, you better be ready or you'll be late." Cream hung up, and Amy looked up and around. She saw Shadow was already gone. If it wasn't for the fact that Amy's body was in complete pain, it would have felt like a dream and not reality. Amy didn't have time to think, she quickly ran into the shower, than hopped out and got dressed quickly. Just as she was about to leave, she saw Shadow's side of the bed. The shoots were thrown off, and there were patches of red streaked in the white sheets. Amy felt her eyes well up with tears, Shadow was injured? Amy shot down the stairs faster than she had ever moved before. Vanilla was in the kitchen making breakfast. She turned to Amy with a smile, "Morning Mrs. Amy."

Amy nodded towards her, "Morning, what time did Shadow leave this morning?"

Vanilla thought it was weird for Amy to be asking the questions this time, but shrugged it off, "About six in the morning. Why?"

"It's nothing, did he look a bit off?"

"Well, it seemed like he was almost lifeless..." Vanilla said this with a thinking face, "Did something happen?"

"Not at all, please treat yourself to breakfast." Amy sped out the door and into the car where Cream was waiting for her. She slid into the passenger seat and buckled quickly. Cream took notice of the dark circles under Amy's eyes.

"What's wrong? You look terrible." Cream stated. Amy scoffed and glared at the sun shining outside.

"Nothing, just a lot happened last night. Cream, I need you to stop at the pharmacy on the way there." Cream tilted her head questioningly, but nodded. She drove to the nearest pharmacy. As they pulled in and parked, Cream looked at her friend worriedly, "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"No, I just need to grab something." Amy said. She stepped out of the car, giving Cream a sign saying she'll be right back. She ran in and grabbed the item she needed and then waited in line. She finished her purchase and thanked the cashier, than ran all the way back outside.

"Alright, I'm ready to go."

Cream nodded and they took off towards the set.

* * *

It was already twelve in the afternoon when they reached the set. Amy and Cream grabbed a bite at the hotels resturaunt and then high tailed it over, shoving food in their faces as they ran. The make up artist was already on set waiting. She sat in a chair and let them touch up on her face, and then hurried over to the set. They saw Tails and Knuckles talking to each other. Tails was on the phone, tapping his foot. Both of them looked worried. Knuckles waved over at Amy and Cream as they approached. Tails shut his phone, and looked over at them. "Morning Amy, morning Cream." He looked over at Knuckles, "Still no answer."

"How about the office? The home? Other places he normally goes?" Knuckles asked.

"I've looked everywhere." Said Tails.

"Did something happen?" Amy asked as she looked between them.

"We can't get a hold of Shadow." Knuckles said, "He might be busy, so we'll have to shoot this scene another time. I'll wait for news on Shadow, you two can go ahead and go home. We will reschedule this for another time."

"Thanks for your help Knuckles." Tails bid him and the girls farewell as he walked off. Knuckles sighed and turned to Amy, apologizing for having her sit through make up for nothing. She laughed it off.

"It's fine. If you're busy than I'll go wash it off and be on my way." Knuckles nodded and let the two leave as he turned off and away. Instantly, her eyes became daggers, and Amy's sight set on the fox that was leaving. She ran full speed towards him and stood in front of him with her arms out. Cream followed behind her, a bit surprised.

"Amy," Tails looked nervous, "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Shadow, was he injured?" Amy asked with a low growl. Tails gulped.

"I don't believe I know what you're talking about..." He kept up a polite smile, but this only made her angrier.

"I know he's injured." Amy kept her voice low, not wanting to drag any attention. Tails twitched, and then let out a sigh, "Did he drink at the party yesterday?"

"He did." Cream said, standing next to Amy. "He lost a lot to Amy and had to take many shots."

"I knew it!" Tails hissed, unable to contain his worry and anger, "The wound on his back is so serious. How could he drink? It's definitley infected by now! The wound must have gotten worse. He's in hiding JUST like he did last time he was injured. I don't understand this man. Everytime time he comes up sick or injured he always does this. It's like asking for help is a sin to him! I just haven't been able to reach or locate him at all. I'm so worried, but there's nothing I can do if I can't find him."

Amy nodded and held out her hand, "Cream, can you stay here with Tails? I'll go find Shadow." Tails looked up with a shocked look in his eyes. Cream nodded and handed the pink girl her keys, "Good luck." Amy turned and stomped off towards her car, off to Shadow's mansion.

* * *

...

...

...

* * *

It took Amy three hours to reach Shadow's mansion on the isolated mountain. Besides the occasional bird chirps, the mountain was pretty quiet. Amy pulled up into the mansions driveway, wondering how she managed to find herself here a second time. Like last time, the gates to the mansion were wide open. Amy took this opportunity and pulled into the court yard. She saw Shadow's car here and her grip on the wheel tightened.

"So he is here." She muttered. She got out of her car and approached the door. She pressed the doorbell and got no answer. She started to get more worried, and circled around the back of the mansion like last time. One of the windows was open again, so she lifted her little pink body up and over the window sill. Once inside, she walked to the corridor of the second floor of the mansion, heading straight for his room. She went and reached for the door handle, ready to open it, when the door was pulled open from the inside.

He thought her standing there was just an illusion. But no, here she was. Amy was also shocked that Shadow opened the door. She shook it off and went up to him, putting a hand against his hand, trying to check for a fever. Shadow snapped out of his daze and glared at her, "Who let you in here?!"

"Obviously, I let myself in." Amy remarked. He growled.

"Get out."

"No."

"Amy Rose."

"I'm not leaving!" Amy huffed. He sighed in frustration and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder. She let out a squeak as he walked down the stairs to the first floor, and threw her outside his front door. "Go home." Then he shut the door again. Amy felt herself go red with anger. She stomped back around the house, and climbed in through the window again. She went back to his bedroom door, which still wasn't shut. He was laying on his stomach on his bed, not paying attention, thinking he had won. She smirked, and walked over. His ears twitched and he turned his head. His eyes widened, "How did you-" but before he could say anymore, she sat on the back of his waist, and his body tensed up in pain. She quickly rolled his shirt over his back to look at the wound on his fur. His body stiffened, and he had no other choice but to admit defeat. His shoulder was incredibly red and swollen, and most of the wound was infected. Seeing this, Amy started shaking.

"Did you get this when you rescued me from the swinging incident?"


	40. A Heart to Heart

They weren't filming a fighting movie or anything. They were filming a modern drama. The only thing that could have injured him was when he saved her from her fall. She thought back to the look on his face that day. At first she thought it had been a look of worry, but maybe it was a look of pain? Why would he sacrafic himself to save her anyway? Amy tried to think that maybe her first assumption was correct, but she didn't want to over think what was happening. She looked around at Shadow and decided to ask him directly, "Why did you save me?"

His fingers trembled on the bed and he forced his head to turn and look at her. He tried to come up with an excuse in his head, "If anything happened to you, I would have to explain it to Sonic."

 _'I love you, I couldn't just let you get hurt right in front of me.'_

"Oh." After staying silent after that, Amy remembered why she was there. She looked at the wound on his back. She wanted to help but she was scared she would hurt him. She pulled her hand back from his fur, "Does it hurt?" His fingers dig deeper into the matress as her weight adjusts, giving her a non verbal answer. She reached over and opened her bag, taking out the things she had bought at the pharmacy. She had picked up a disinfectant, ointment, and bandages. She first picked the cotton swabs and disinfected his back. Shadow hissed the moment it touched the open wound. She let her anger take over as she took care of him.

"Why didn't you tell anyone you were injured in the first place? Even if you didn't want other people to know, you still should have gone to the hospital and gotten checked up on. If the wound isn't properly handled, it could get infected. With an injury like this, you also shouldn't be drinking. Why did you decide to drink when you were hurt? For someone your age, you need to be taking better care of yourself." She said one thing after another and didn't stop as the frustration filled her voice. He listened to her ramble on, and his heart melted at hearing her care so much for him. He let himself fall asleep under her care, a small smile gracing his lips.

When Amy finished, she grabbed a bottle of water and some anti-inflammatory medicine. She went over and was about to demand he take it when she realized he had fallen asleep. She watched his body move up in down as he breathed. Then she looked to see a small smile on his face. She smiled too, leaned down and kissed his cheek, than stood up. She lightly put some bandaging on his wound and then covered him with a blanket. Then she picked up her own bag and left the bedroom.

* * *

When Shadow woke up, it was dark out. All the lights in his room were out also, it was pitch black. Shadow turned his lights on, then reached around to touch his back. The bandage was there, so he knew Amy being at the mansion was not a dream. He then stood up from his bed and left the room. The mansion was quiet, as normally he was the only one who was there. He walked around the whole place to make sure Amy was there. When he saw no sign of her, he went back to his room to inspect once more. He found the pills and the bottle of water and took it, downing the contents quickly before sighing. It was then that he heard a faint sound coming from downstairs. He walked downstairs, and saw Amy walking in carrying a huge back into the dining room. She had not noticed him, so he leaned against a wall and waited for her to notice him. He watched her put food away in the fridge and the cabinets. She was ready to turn around and go find him when she jumped at the sight of him leaning against the wall. "Oh, I was just about to go looking for you. Go wash your hands, I got dinner."

Shadow stared at Amy silently for a while before moving over to stand right in front of her. His eyes looked over at the bags of warm food on the table. "You went and got take out also?"

"I can't cook, and I don't know what food you like, so I just bought some cheap stuff from the fast food places." Amy looked at the bags that were full of two cheeseburgers, two large fries, two cookies, and a drink holder with two drinks. He nodded and sat down in one of the chairs as he opened his bag and stuffed a burger in his mouth. Amy sat next to him quietly as she did the same with her own food. This continued until all that was left were the drinks they were sipping on. He sipped his drink, trying to think of some kind of conversation to have with her, then looked over. "How did you get in?"

"Climbed in through the window" Amy said casually.

He smiled at her antics. He pulled out his phone and sent her a quick text, just six simple letters. Her phone went off and she pulled it out, then gave him a look.

"It's the doors password to get into the mansion." He said simply. He then stood up to leave the dining room before he looked back over to her, "From now on, don't climb in through that window. If the security system goes off, the police will come and investigate. I don't want to have to bail you out of jail."

He left and went back upstairs to his room and Amy smiled to herself. She put her food away and then followed him upstairs. She walked into the room with him, and then opened a cabinet and pulled out the ointment. She showed it to him, "You should apply this everyday for a week until it heals. You can ask me to come put it on, or you can ask Tails." Shadow averts his eyes and Amy growls.

"In case you didn't know, Tails isn't just your assistant. He's your friend also. He's been worried sick just as much as the rest of us. You need to start treating him better." Shadow's ears flattened against the back of his head at her lecture. "It's getting late, so I'll head out first." Shadow said nothing, so then Amy grabbed her bag and said goodbye. It was only when the door shut and she wasn't in the room, that Shadow realized he had wanted her to stay. He picked up his phone quickly, calling a number,

"Temporarily close of the exit, and let those on duty go on break for half an hour. Thanks." Shadow ended the call, smiling to himself. He went to his bed and pulled out his laptop as he went over some important papers that the company had sent him today. With every letter he typed, he snuck a glance at his phone. After a while, his phone went off and he had to calm himself. He picked it up, "Yes?"

 _"The gates of the mansion are locked and there isn't anyone on duty to let me out. Do you have an access card?_ " He said yes, and purposely stood and pretended to look around. He even made some noise for Amy to hear through the phone. Eventually, he held up the access card to his face as he smirked.

"Oh I just remembered, two days ago I must have left it in the hotel in one of my other pant's pockets." He slid the card into the case of his pillow. "I guess I didn't bring it back."

 _"So how do I get out?"_

"Come back and stay the night I guess." He didn't say anymore and hung up, leaving Amy on the other end with a shocked look on her face.

* * *

Shadow continued to work on his computer. Fifteen minutes later he heard her car coming. His lips curved upwards into a smile as his plan had been successful. When he heard her footsteps approach the door, his facade came back and his smile disappeared. She came back into the room, and sat on the end of his bed and played on her phone. He picked up the remote from his side and tossed it over to her. She gave him a thanks and looked through a few channels. She saw that the first movie Shadow had ever stared in was going to be playing after a live TV interview with Robotnik, so she put it on there, waiting patiently for the show to end so she could see the movie. Shadow saw she had stopped on the screen. While he was certain Amy felt nothing for Robotnik, he couldn't say the same for the latter. He knew Robotnik wanted to have Amy do favors for her roles. This sudden thought made him think deeper, and before the words could stop themselves, he had said out loud, "I think there is something going on between Sally and Robotnik."

"I wouldn't doubt it." Amy muttered. Shadow was surprised to hear her agree. He looked back at the TV screen, smiling when the show ended and the movie finally came on. She relaxed a little more, propping herself up on a pillow as she continued to watch. In the movie, Shadow was younger and much less calm. However, he was still mesmerizing. She was so into the show that she didn't hear Shadow's phone go off. He picked it up, "Hello?"

 _"It's Tails. I investigated the swing incident. There is some progress."_

Shadow looked over at Amy, then proceeded to hop off the bed and walk into the hallway, "What progress?"

 _"The cut to the strings were done mechanically. It wasn't due to wear and tear. Someone went in and cut them. The only other person besides the crew who had been working on the set that were there was Sally. I suspect that she bribed the crew to not tell anyone. How do you intent to settle this incident without evidence?"_

He knew something was off with the squirrel. He growled, "Even without evidence, there are other ways we can punish her."

 _"You mean... boycott? Are we boycotting Sally? For how long?"_

"Permanently."

 _"What about her role in the show?"_

"Get the script crew to reduce her screen time."

 _"You got it."_

When Shadow ended the call, he walked back into the room. Just as he appeared, the screen was the kissing scene between his character and Rouge's. He looked at Amy, who was looking intently at the screen more than she had before. He looked also. Even though the kiss was fake and not real, it looked as if the two characters had put their entire heart and soul into the scene. He began to feel self conscious, and fear began to creep up inside his body. He went back to the bed and resumed working, "The kiss wasn't real. It just looks like it from an angle."

Amy nodded and turned to look at him, a glow in her eyes, "Even though it's about the angle, the visuals are amazing. The snow back ground also adds more emotion to the kiss. The image is so beautiful..." She blinks for a moment, "Wait, does that mean your kiss scenes aren't real?"

"Correct."

Amy stared at him in disbelief, "What about in 'Clouds' and what about 'Heaven'?"

"Also fake kiss scenes."

She listed a few other movies he had been in, even a few with bed scenes, and he said that they were still all fake. All of the kiss and bed scenes were either fake or angled or they used a substitue. He smirked and leaned down to her level, "You seem to be caught up with all the movies I'm in."

Amy's face flushed and she turned away, "I, uh, everyone loves your movies so I can't help but be a fan too." Amy crossed her arms, trying to ignore the blush rising to her cheeks. He wiggled closer to her and she felt her heart race as he got closer.

"Oh yeah? Which of my characters are your favorite?"

She turned in her spot to look at him. She curled around him as she spoke, but still kept a good distance between them. "My favorite movie of yours was the Longing, and that was also the one with my favorite character of yours."

He gave her a look, confusingly, "Why the longing?"

"You completely overshadowed the male lead in that movie!" She sat up as she spoke, "The love for the female lead, your character's sister, was forbidden. You were able to portray the restrain and struggle so well."

He nodded towards her, "It's one of my favorite movies as well, but it's also the one I hate too."

"Why is that?" Amy asked quietly, as the movie ended.

"It was the film that allowed me to live the life I have now..." He whispered, "But at the same time, it caused me to lose an important person in my life."

"Did you try to confess to her after that movie or something?" Amy asked, suddenly regretting the conversation.

"You could say something like that..." He mumbled. "I didn't confess, I just lost contact with her."

"Do you still talk to her?"

"We lost contact for a while." Shadow looked up at her green eyes, "But we came into contact recently. So we still talk now."

Amy pretended to be happy, and turned her head away from him, "In novels and drama's, couples usually end up together. I'm sure yours will be the same."

He squeezes his fist, trying to hint at her the situation, "I can't, she's married."

There was an awkward silence as neither of them knew what to say after that. Amy gulped, "Will you still love her even though she is married?"

"Yes." Shadow shot a look at her, one that was full of determination. "I wish I could stop loving her, but I can't."

Amy was left speechless. Shadow seemed to realize how heavy the topic was. He randomly used a gossip topic from his company to steer them away from it. She also felt better as they switched topics, and asked him about past scandals that had come up. Did this and this person really sleep together, did this person cheat on so and so, why did this infamous couple break up? All of these were questions she had asked from previous events, and he answered honestly, satisfying her curiousity one after another. The conversations went on for hours as Amy and Shadow talked and talked. This was the first time Shadow had had a long converation with her in years. He looked at his phone, then back at her, "It's getting late. Go shower and then go to sleep." She frowned.

"I don't have anything to wear, or any of my belongings with me..." She muttered. He smiled and walked over to his closet, pulling out one of his long shirts and then tossing it to her. She smiled and thanked him with a blush as she hopped into the shower in his bathroom. He ran downstairs and made her some warm milk, and by the time he had returned up the stairs, she was done. She sat at his vanity table and dried her hair. He put the milk down next to her.

"This will help you sleep better."

She turned to him after brushing out her quills, "Thank you, Shadow. Do you have any extra blankets? I figured I would sleep on the sofa. Your back is injured and my bad sleeping habits might make it worse."

No. Tonight was too good of a night for it to be ruined because of something like his back. He always wanted to make love to her but it always ended on bad terms. Tonight had been special, and he wanted to keep it that way.

"Take the bed." He didn't realize Amy had already finished her milk as she laid on the sofa. She looked up at him, her ears twitching.

"Huh? I already told you, I would hurt your back."

He scoffed and picked the girl up bridal style as he held her to his chest. She blushed as he walked back to his bedroom, shutting the door behind him.


	41. Car accident

Shadow set Amy on the bed gently. When he looked up, his red eyes settled on her face. She was looking up at him with wide eyes and a blush on her face. The mood in the room changed as his heart started racing and her face got redder. He reached out to her with one hand and carressed her face slightly. She felt excited, but then she frowned when she realized he was wiping off milk that still caked her lips. He smiled at her, "Goodnight" and then made his way to the sofa in the same bedroom. He laid down on it with a pillow and blanket. Neither of them spoke, both were too anxious to sleep. Amy turned in the bed and smiled as she saw Shadow's figure sleeping on the couch with his back to her. She cuddled up under the blankets a bit more and breathed in his scent. Eventually she passed out, her breathing slowing as she was wisked away into dream world. Shadow sighed and then stood up from his sofa and walked towards the bed. He leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead, then went back to his sofa.

Shadow's back took four days to heal. In those four days neither of them went to work. Amy stayed at the house and took care of him while he recovered. During those four days, those two had conversations that last longer than any they've had in a total of the past five years. However, they couldn't stay in that mansion forever as on day five Shadow's phone went off.

"Hello?" He said quickly as he answered the phone.

 _"Shadow, it's Tails. There is a mandatory meeting today and you are required to be there."_

"Alright, I shall leave immediately." He looked to Amy, "Time to go back to the set. My back is feeling better anyway." Amy nodded, as she was all ready and had her bag and her wallet and phone. They said bye to Vanilla as they headed to their cars. Shadow hopped into his and she did hers. However Shadow's car wouldn't start for some reason. He glared at it then tried to turn it on again. Nothing. He got out of his car and walked over to Amy who had seen the whole thing and got into her passenger seat.

"Car trouble?" She asked. He nodded, and she smiled in return as they made their way back to the set. He had her drop him off at the main headquarters for his meeting. He walked out and thank her, before turning to walk inside. She nodded and pulled out of the parking lot and drove away. Shadow watched, making sure she had gotten out safely before going into the elevator.

Little did they know someone had been watching.

* * *

...

...

...

* * *

Blaze had been taking a week off for a vacation. She had wanted Silver to take a week off with her but he was busy filming. She was a little upset but decided if she was going to be on vacation she might as well spend it with him on set. That day Silver had to sign a contract at the companies head quarters so he picked Blaze up as they made their way there. He pulled into a parking spot in the garage parking and turned the engine off. Before he could even say anything Blaze grabbed him by the front of his suit and pulled him in for a kiss. He growled and slipped his arms around her waist as he kissed her deeper. They made out in the front of the car for a few minutes before Silver pulled away tring to breathe, "There, no more being upset because of my filming now, got it?"

Blaze nodded and stuck her tongue out at him teasingly. Just then she saw a familiar license plate in the rear view mirror and she turned her head. Her eyes widened as she saw Amy and Shadow sitting in the front seat. She watched Shadow get out of the car and watch Amy leave, then turn to go inside. Shadow had a car, so how come he was in Amy's? When did they get so close?

"Blaze. Blaze?" He flicked her forehead and she jumped, turning to him quickly with a startled expression.

"Whatcha looking at?" He asked curiously. She shook her head.

"It's nothing."

* * *

Silver had gone in to sign a product endorsment with KFC. However, this one was always going to be open 24/7. Silver and his manager went over the contract to make sure there were no issues. Once the clearance was done, Silver went ahead and signed it. When he finished writing his signature, Blaze saw a row of zero's next to a one and she was shocked with how much money he would be making. She shook her head quickly and pointed at the contract, "Hey, did you know Amy's favorite food is from KFC? It's their plain tenders."

"Really?" Silver smiled wide, "That's great. Maybe one day I can take the both of you out for free, it'll be my treat." Blaze smiled widely at him.

"Amy would love that. That'd be great."

Silver signed a few more lines in his contract before reaching over and handing it to the copyright manager. He took Blaze's hand as the two turned to leave before they saw Shadow walking over to them. Silver stopped walking and smiled, "Hey, Shadow!" Shadow was about to say something to the silver hedgehog, but when he saw Blaze standing there he instantly shut his mouth and said nothing. He turned to look at the copyright manager.

"Did you find it?"

"I did." The manager handed the paper that Shadow had been looking for earlier. Shadow gave a nod and a thanks and then turned to the two, "See you Silver." He strode past the two without saying so much of a word to Blaze.

* * *

When Shadow's meeting had finished it was already eight in the evening. Shooting would be done soon and people would be hungry. He thought back to what Blaze had said and turned to Tails. The fox could feel Shadow looking at him and his tail stood up. He turned quickly, "What is it Shadow?"

"That new restaurant Silver endorses, order a lot of tenders and sides from that place. They should be just about done shooting, so if anyone is staying in the hotel they can all eat dinner."

Tails didn't find this suspicious at all. Many times producers and directors would do something like this to thank the set and crew for their hard work. It was no different for Shadow. Even though he hated socializing, he would always do his part if the participants were working hard. So Tails followed these orders, and then got off the phone and stood next to Shadow. He smlied, "All done. Should be here soon." Shadow nodded and he and the fox made their way to the set, as Shadow sent a quick text to Knuckles.

It took 5 minutes for them to reach the set by car. As soon as they got there the shooting had finished and Knuckles grabbed his microphone, "Good job everyone. To thank you all for your hard word, executive Shadow has bought you all dinner." A round of cheers were heard as a KFC truck pulled up to the set. A few crew members started putting tables from props together so people could have seats. Shadow walked over and paid the delivery driver and then had him help carry the catering bags over to the table. They had opened it and everyone practically melted at the smell. There was more than enough to go around so everyone sat together and took pictures of their food and posted it on twitter, tagging Shadow as they did and thanking him for the meal.

Amy had a scene to shoot that night so she had been there all day. She had just come out of make up, relieved that her face was back to not being so caked, when she saw all the commotion outside. She looked over at Cream with a confused look, but the rabbit giggled as she linked her arm with the rabbit and pulled her along. Rouge had been sitting next to Shadow and waved them over, showing that there were two empty spots by them. Amy smiled and sat by Shadow as Cream sat on the other side of Rouge. Tails smiled from across them and held out two plates to Amy and Cream, "Dinner is on the house, paid for by Shadow tonight." Amy smiled and took her plate as she turned to Shadow.

"Thank you, Shadow." Amy said. Shadow said nothing but turned quickly so he would keep his calm composure. Cream also took her plate from Tails, winking at him and causing him to blush lightly.

Blaze and Silver also pulled up. Their plan was to go home and order take out, but Silver had seen all the commotion on twitter and decided they would eat at the set instead. Knuckles smiled as they appraoched and greeted them with two plates, which they took and thanked him for.

"Ne, Knuckles, who treated the crew tonight?" Silver asked quietly. Knuckles pointed over to where Amy sat, "Shadow did. He order an entire large catering service from the place where you just got endorsed."

"Oh! No wonder many people showed up tonight." Silver's eyes lit up happily as he bit into his tenders. Blaze bit into hers, smiling gently, but becoming very suspicious. She felt as if there was a hiden meaning behind the ebony hedgehog ordering, ironically, Amy's favorite food after she had spoke about it in the same room with him that day. The cat couldn't help but look over at Shadow and Amy. Amy of course was going to town on her tenders like she always would when Blaze took her to KFC. Still the same exact drooling look. She began to observe Shadow. He sat next to the pinkette with his normal everyday expression. He sat silently and broke his tenders, but never ate them. For a few more minutes, this was all Blaze did. It seemed like there was nothing going on between the two of them, yet there was something telling Blaze the opposite.

Amy pretty much licked her plate clean. She hadn't had enough and licked her lips as she started looking around at other people. She started gulping as she looked at people. Shadow gave her a kind of freaked out look, not knowing what was going on. "What the hell are you looking at?" His voice snapped her out of her trance and she realized what she was doing. She flushed quickly, and apologized. Cream smirked and leaned over to look at Shadow.

"Amy isn't full and is still hungry. She's staring at other peoples plates, hoping they'll give her their scraps."

Amy's face grew redder, she felt betrayed, "C-Cream!"

Shadow looked away cooly, before sliding his plate over to her, "I don't like chicken tenders to begin with, so here, have mine."

"Oh no, I'm already full..." Amy tried to look polite, despite the growling in her tummy. He smirked inside.

"If you dont eat it I'm just going to throw it away."

She gasped and quickly took his plate. Rouge tried to hold back her chuckled as she turned to look at Shadow. He glared and looked at her, his voice dangerously low,

"If you dare say a word you bat..."

Rouge just held her mouth, trying to prevent herself from laughing as she turned her back to the ebony hedgehog and slapped her knee in a fit of silent laughter. Blaze and Silver had started sitting across from them before the entire situation began. Blaze was starting to see it again. She had a strong feeling Shadow hadn't ate any of his tenders to begin with because he was going to give it to Amy.

 _"How are you so sure the person Shadow likes isn't Amy?"_

Perhaps the squirrel was onto something. Back then she thought she knew to the fullest that Amy was not the person Shadow loved. But now, she was not so sure. The more she saw them sitting next to each other, the more she felt there was something between them. She had always been curious and wanted to know who it was that Shadow loved, but she had never expected it to be Amy. She tried to shake her head and think outside the box. Maybe they only seemed closer now that they were working together? Besides, she knew the squirrel had only come after her the other day to pit her and her sister apart. She would never ever doubt Amy.

* * *

...

...

...

* * *

Blaze sat on set and watched all the scenes with disinterest. It became very boring to watch. On the third day of boredom, Blaze realized Amy had no scenes to shoot and dragged her around to go shopping. When Amy's parents passed away, Blaze's parents used to spoil Amy all the time. It wasn't like it didn't piss Blaze off to no end, but what could she say? There were numerous times when Blaze and Amy got into fights, and as a result Blaze was the only one who was punished. But after she grew up and realized how horrible of a situation Amy was in, Blaze always wanted to protect her. But Amy had always been mature and never wanted to argue in the first place. Later on, Blaze said something unforgiveable to Amy, it was so unforgiveable that Blaze wanted to make it up to her for the rest of her life.

While shopping in the afternoon, Amy didn't hold back. She now had some money to her name from working, so she walked out of the mall with many large and small bags. Because Blaze and Silver had a dinner date later, they decided they would head back to the set. The traffic was terrible because it was Friday, and people were getting off work. Blaze was impatient when it came to traffic so she started cussing up a storm. Amy was used to this temper from her sister, so she sat in the passenger seat and played on her phone. "Blaze, can you calm down? Your road rage might get us into an accident."

Blaze snorted but tried to keep her cool. Traffic had calmed down a bit so Blaze let her temper slide. Amy smiled as she saw this, "How have you and Silver been?"

"Alright." Blaze replied meekly.

"Everytime you always say 'alright' Blaze. When are you going to just get married to a nice guy? You're worrying your parents." Amy teased.

"Amy, they are already pissing me off with this stuff. I don't need you pissing me off about it too." Blaze's eyes suddenly widened as she screamed.

"AMY WATCH OUT!"

* * *

Silver was with Shadow, Rouge, and Robotnik in the directors room discussing the script. Suddenly his phone went off and he opened it quickly, "Hello?... wait, what happened? A car accident?"

Shadow froze. He knew Amy was going to be with Blaze. His thoughts raced to Sonic and his car accident and his heart dropped. "Are you hurt?" Silver asked as he stood up, "A serious car accident? Blaze what do you mean you forgot your drivers license? Uh..." He turned to look at them, "I have to go. Blaze and Amy were in a car accident and the police are holding Blaze there until I can meet them with her ID."

"A car accident? Was it serious?" Rouge asked as she walked over concerned.

"Yes, but there shouldn't be any big problems." Silver said.

 _'Big problems?'_ Shadow gritted his teeth and the phone in his own hand was clenched tightly. He stood up, "I have business in the city and Tails has my car. Would it bother you if I tagged along with you?"

Silver nodded and the two of them left the building. Robotnik looked over at Rouge, "Uh, what's the deal with Shadow lately?" Rouge smirked, pretending not to know.

"Whatever do you mean?"

* * *

Shadow ended up driving Silver's car instead. They headed 20 minutes to the south side of the town where the shopping district was. Once they appeared Blaze jumped up happily. "Silver is here!" She got up with a smile but that quickly fell when she saw Shadow get out of the drivers side door. Silver came up from behind him from the passenger seat side, and Blaze gave Shadow a curious look. "Why are you here, Shadow?"

Amy heard Shadow's name and jumped. She turned and saw him there, then got out of the car as she stood next to her sister. Silver smiled at the two of them, "Shadow had business in the city, so I drove him here." He turned to look at the ebony hedgehog, "Do you want to take my car into the city and I can take a cab back with the two of them?"

The entire time this went down Shadow's eyes never left Amy as he inspected her to make sure she was alright. He ended up shaking his head as he turned to Silver, "No need, I'll call a cab for myself." Then he handed Silver back the car keys. He quickly put his hand up and a cab stopped instantly. He got in and left in a flash. Amy frowned and turned back towrads the two, "I have a scene to shoot tonight, I will drive the car back to the hotel." She then hopped in the badly damaged car and drove off also.


	42. Roofies

After dinner and returning to the hotel, Amy went and got her make up done for her scenes with Shadow today. There was still almost half an hour or preparing after getting her make up done, so she waited. The crew was still setting up and Cream had fallen ill and was throwing up in the bathroom, so Amy just wandered around aimlessly. She ended up at a pavillion as she came upon Shadow. He was standing there and looking across a lake. Amy wasn't surprised to seem him since she knew he had a night scene too. She hesitated before slowly climbing the stairs up to him. Shadow turned and was a bit surprised to see her. He put out his cigarette as she approached and then looked at her with a numb expression.

"Finished preparing for your scenes yet?" She asked quietly. He was a bit surprised that she would initiated the conversation.

"Yeah, but we guys tend to not take as long as you women."

Amy felt the bubbling happiness spread inside her as he spoke to her. He turned to her again, a concerned look on his face, "What happened with that car accident?"

"Blaze rear ended someone."

"Are... you okay?" He asked quietly this time as he went back to looking over the lake.

"I'm fine. How about you? Has your scar healed fully?"

"Yeah... He absent mindedly reached back there. It didn't hurt and was fully healed, but such an incident made him self conscious. He turned around to see Knuckles motioning for them to come, so he sighed, "It's time to start our scenes. Let's get going."

The two walked back to the set from the pavillion to get ready for their scenes. They were about to be shooting the season finale. Amy looked up happily at seeing Silver here with her sister, but before she could greet Blaze Knuckles had pushed her towards the set, saying they had no time to delay.

Blaze had been discussing her future with Silver when she saw Amy and Shadow coming back alone from the pavillion. Halfway through her sentence she had stopped. She lost her enthusiam in the conversation as her heart began to hurt.

* * *

After shooting Blaze went with Cream and Amy to makeup. Amy sighed as she rubbed away the heavy feelings of foundation on her face. However there was a smudge she could'nt remove and she looked to Blaze, "Can you get the make up remover out of my bag?"

Blaze nodded and pulled open Amy's purse. She pulled the little container of wipes out of the bag but froze at what she saw inside it. There was a small bottle of ointment cream. It was a prescription, and the name on it said _Shadow Hedgehog._ Why did Amy have Shadow's perscription? Did he give it to her?

"Blaze?"

Blaze snapped out of her trance and zipped Amy's bag shut and then handed it over to her, "Sorry, I'm a bit dizzy. Please excuse me." Blaze turned and walked out of the make up studio as she walked to the water fountain in between the bathrooms. She took a huge gulp of water and sighed internally.

Blaze stared down at her hands before coming to a conclusion. Amy was the girl Shadow had loved all these years.

"Blaze?" The cat looked up suddenly to see Tails coming out of the males bathroom. Her shocked expression swept away to one of happiness as she greeted him, "Tails, hey. When did you get back from the city?"

"CIty? Which city?" Tails thought for a moment, "I haven't been anywhere all day. I've been in my hotel room sleeping all day."

"Really? Perhaps I confused you with someone else." Blaze forced a smile as Tails nodded and walked away. Blaze growled and held onto the water fountain tightly. Tails didn't have Shadow's car. He hadn't even left the set all day. That meant that Shadow had lied about Tails taking the car this morning. If Tails never took the car out all day, then Shadow was lying. But why?

At HQ, she had mentioned that Amy liked tenders from KFC, then Shadow treats the entire crew to a huge feast of tenders from KFC.  
When they got into a car accident, Shadow showed up, examined Amy, and then left.  
There was that bottle of medicine in Amy's bag.  
And now she found out Tails never actually left.

"It's Amy. It's Amy. He loves Amy." Blaze whispered angrily.

"Blaze?" The cat shot her head up to look over at Silver who was walking towards her, "Are you not feeling well?"

"I'm fine... just a little dizzy." Blaze lied. Silver gave her a soft smile, then wrapped an arm around her waist.

"You don't look good. Let's go home so you can rest."

"It might just be my period is about to come. It's not a big deal Silver." She clinged onto his arm as they walked back to the main set.

* * *

Sally never graduated high school. She dropped out, and became a side chick and sugar baby who was willing to please many rich men for money. When she was nineteen she met a film investory at a dinner party. She slipped her number into the mans pocket, and used him to rise to stardom. This was how she entered the entertainment industry. From the age of nineteen to twenty seven, she always had the drive and body to reach the top. Her sugar daddies always recommended her no matter what. As of late, sometimes you couldn't rely on your skills and talents but your body also.

Sally despised Rouge. Rouge was someone who had climbed up that bar without sleeping around, without getting her body or hands dirty. Everyone labeled Rouge as an actress you'd meet only every hundred years. Sally knew there was no surpassing the bat, so instead she turned to sleeping with male cast members to get them on her side as she ruined the lives of female actresses so she could rise to the top. This was until Amy stole her role in the show, that's when the squirrel started to have bad luck. The swing incident restrained Sally, especially since she knew Shadow was wanting Knuckles to investigate. After that she felt as if Shadow knew. Shows started to cancel on her, she was no longer invited on anymore host shows. Sally felt like she was in danger, so she tried to call up all her sugar daddies. But it was like they had all gotten bad wind of her name, none of them would answer her. Sally felt if she could just get one decent commercial, she would be okay. She turned to the last person she wanted to, Producer Robotnik. But night after night of her trying to get commercials through him, she would never get that call.

The next time she found Robotnik however, she found herself lucky. She already had one of his spare room keys. She used it to open the door, and heard him mid conversation in his room.

 _"Of all these female celebrities the only one I haven't touched is Rouge. I can't touch her anyway because she's protected by the box office. The one I want who I haven't been able to touch also is Amy. Yeah, her, she's prettier than Rouge by far. Innocent, clean, no plastic surgeries either. I'm defninitley interested in her, but no matter what I do, I cannot seduce her. Maybe she is playing hard to get..."_

Sally bit her lip and stepped back out in the hallway, shutting his door behind her.

If she gave him Amy, he would give her anything she wanted, right?

Sally hated Amy's guts, more so than Rouge. This was a win win situation for her. The corner of Sally's smile turned upwards into a smile. She would go through with it this time when she knew Shadow wouldn't be around.

The day it happened was a Friday. The crew was having to reschedule an outside shoot since it wasn't clear out. So they had the evening off and Robotnik treated everyone to dinner. Sally wasn't going to attend since she had started her period, but she heard Shadow was going to be in the city doing business. She dressed herself up and ready to go to the party.

The party was located at a hot spring a few blocks away from the hotel. The temperature of the hot spring was high, so no one soaked for long as it would have been easy to dehydrate. Sally spent a lot of money to send several rounds of boxed drinks. Amy, Cream, and Rouge stayed in the red wine bath with a few other actresses when they had their bottles brought to them. The staff didn't tell them who had treated them, so everyone assumed it was Robotnik.

Perhaps it was because the water was too hot, or she had been soaking for too long. Amy felt herself becoming equal to an active volcano. It was so unbearable like her heart was on fire, she had to excuse herself to the bathroom. She turned on the shower once she entered the washrooms and soaked her face in cold water. When she looked up she noticed her face was abnormally red. She poked it, and her heart rate increased and she became more and more excited. Amy soon felt her strength leave her as she leaned against the bathroom tile. She blacked out, the last thing she saw were a pair of brain legs walking towards her.

* * *

...

...

...

* * *

Producer Robotnik soon felt his phone go off. He sighed as he opened it. He was a bit light headed from the hot spring and from drinking. He saw a text from Sally and examined it as best as he could, "A gift for me huh? I better go see what she wants..." He stood up and said he would be back as he left the hot springs and got in his car, heading back to the hotel.

Cream was in deep conversation with the others and only after she came out of the hot spring did she realize that Amy was not around. She had gone to the bathroom a long while ago but had not returned. Cream walked towards it, but even after circling the whole bathroom, she still couldn't find Amy. She then continued to walk around looking for her friend, but she was still not in sight. Cream returned to the locker area and found that Amy's clothes and belongings were still inside. Her things were here so she must still be here! Cream returned back to the hot spring in search of Amy. Worried and panicky, Cream had a bad feeling sink into her chest. When she wanted to return to the hot spring one more time, Rouge stopped her. "Cream, everyone has left, why would you go back in when you just came from there?"

Cream stopped, shouting back, "Rouge, I can't find Amy anywhere."

"Wasn'tshe talking with the others awhile ago? Besides, how can you lose someone that's of age?" Rouge paused for a while guessing, "She could have had an emergency and didn't have time to inform you?"

"But her clothes and belongings are still in the locker!" Cream paused momentarily before continuing, "If she had changed, I wouldn't be so worried, but she's definitely not someoneis comfortable walking around in her bikini."

Rouge started to see the seriousness of the situation, "When was the last time you saw her?"

"It was when she went to the bathroom when she was done talking to us." Cream said as she started to panic some more.

Rouge took Cream by her hand as she walked straight for the hot spring again. Cream looked at the bat a bit confused as the returned to the red wine spring. Rouge looked and saw all the bottles had been cleaned up immediately. She bit her lip as she guessed what happened. She pulled Cream along as they went inside to the management office. She called her manager, "Call the boss of the hot spring, tell him if he still wants to do a collaboration with me than to let me look at the security footage."

After hanging up, she waited at the front of the office before a team went to her and escorted her to the security room. Rouge scanned all the screens carefully until she found the one with Amy in it. She pointed to that one, and had the team enlarge it. She then watched with angry eyes as Sally came walking in with her manager and her assistant. When the four left the room, Cream cried out.

"Sally took Amy. Sally took Amy! And we don't know where! We need to find Sally!"

"Sally wouldn't tell you where Amy was even if you asked her."

"Okay, I'll call the police instead."

"But we don't have any evidence that Sally did anything wrong..." Rouge looked at the video, "From here, it looks like a few people found Amy and were trying to help her. But we all know Sally better than that."

"Okay, than, I shall call Blaze-"

"Okay, stop." Rouge sighed and looked at the security team, "Please take a recording of that clip and send it to my contact information." She pulled out her own phone and looked at Cream with a determined look, "No time, we need to call Shadow."


	43. Beatings

That night Shadow had a gathering. He never liked gatherings, as to him they were very boring. However, due to his personality, he was never able to blend in with the rest. He didn't say anything or eat anything for the entire night. He opened his phone and looked through twitter. He saw a picture of Amy sitting between Rouge and Cream and let out a small smile. Someone came up to toast a drink, trying to get on his good side. He held up his wine glass but still kept his phone close. It was already ten when the gathering ended. His assistant went to grab the car and Shadow went to the bathroom. On the way there he bumped into Blaze. This was the last day of Blaze's vacation and she and Silver had had dinner in the building. Silver called for the bill and Blaze had gone to the bathroom, where she had bumped into Shadow. He nodded to her as a greeting and then walked to the side to clear the aisle for her. As he walked past her she let out a hiss, "Shadow."

Shadow frowned and turned to face her. Blaze turned and walked towards him with a determined look. "I know who you love."

He remained motionless with no emotions on his face as he motioned for her to continue.

"Shadow, do you think your emotionless facade can hide everything?" She asked with angry golden eyes. "The person you like is A-"

Suddenly his phone went off and he put up a hand to stop her. He held the phone up to his ear but before he could say anything he heard Rouge's scared voice,

"Shadow, it's Rouge, Sally took off with a knocked out Amy!"

Shadow's eyes widened. The hallway was silent as even Blaze forgot what she was going to say. "What happened to Amy?" She whispered. Shadow didn't respond and ran passed her outside. She turned and followed him in pursuit. When she got to the entrance she saw Shadow pulling Tails out of the car. Tails stumbled over to Blaze as Shadow sped out of the parking lot. The fox turned to look at Blaze,

"What happened to Shadow?"

"Car first, explain later." She dragged the fox over and flagged down a cab immediately. She hopped in, pulling the fox with her, "Driver! Please follow that speeding car!"

"That car? But he's not doing the legal speed limit..." The driver said nervously. Blaze growled and threw a few hundred dollars down, "JUST DRIVE!" The man nodded and gulped as he sped after Shadow's car. She looked over to Tails who looked at her a bit annoyed, waiting on an explanation.

"Rouge just called and informed us that Amy was knocked out and unconscious and taken away by Sally."

...

Meanwhile in Shadow's car, he received another call from Rouge saying that someone saw Sally put Amy in her work van and that it was back at the hotel, so Sally would probably be in her room. He stepped on the accelerator, going even faster towards the hotel. Luckily because it was so late the streets were empty. What would have been a two hour trip turned into a half hour drive. He pulled into the hotel parking lot and parked it and then quickly jumped out of the car. Blaze and Tails were right behind him and they got out as they thanked the driver. Blaze looked up as she saw Shadow already going through the entrance. She tugged on Tails arm, "C'mon, let's follow."

They hurriedly got into the elevator with Shadow before he could close the door. Blaze snarled, "That squirrel is going to get what is coming to her for messing with my sister."

* * *

...

...

...

* * *

Thirty minutes after Sally had put Amy in Robotnik's room, she receieved a text from Robotnik.

 _"I like it."_

Sally's lips curled into a wide grin as she replied, _"Have a nice night."_ She then curled into her bed and watched tv happily. At about ten at night, she went to change her pad. She looked in the mirror of her bathroom and noticed her boobs were very swollen, more than likely due to her period. She smiled as she struck some sexy poses and admired herself in the reflection, "I wonder if I should have my breasts enlarged..."

Just then there was a knock on the door. She looked curious as the knocking increased and got louder. She walked over to the door, "Who is it?" She heard nothing, but assumed it was her manager. She opened the door and was shocked to see that it was Shadow. He was glaring daggers at her and giving off a deadly aura. In a few moments, an uneasy feeling engulfed her. Why was he here? Was he here for Amy? The two of them weren't even close. She paniced but forced a smile, "Mr Shadow, how can I help you?"

"Where is Amy Rose?" Shadow snarled.

It really was about her. Worry and guilt overtook her features before she could stop it. She regained herself and smiled again, "Amy should be in her room..."

"Stop your bullshit!" Shadow slammed a hand on the door above her. Sally paled once more, and before she could say anything Blaze stepped around Shadow, making herself known to the squirrel. The minute Sally saw Blaze, she knew she was in deep shit. Blaze shoved the squirrel harshly, glaring at her, "We all know you took my sister! You might as well spill where she is!" Sally had started to retreat backwards into her room, fear over taking her.

"I don't know!"

"You don't know?" Blaze had always had a fiery personality. Seeing as how Sally would not cooperate, she grabbed a fistful of the squirrels brown her, and began to slap her several times. "Then I will help you remember!"

Shadow stood at the door smirking, he decided he would not intervene.

"SALLY ACORN, WHERE DID YOU HIDE MY SISTER?" She grabbed another handful of hair and forced the squirrel to look up at her, "WHERE IS SHE?" Sally kept her lips shut, not saying a word. Blaze felt as if her organs were going to explode in anger. She looked around the room, her gaze falling on a fruit knife not too far away. Without a second thought she grabbed it and glared at Sally as she pressed it into the squirels face, "I will give you three seconds to tell me where she is, if you do not, I'm going to cut your face."

Sally looked at the knife frantically and than back to Blaze, "You can't do that! It's against the law!"

"Law?" Blaze let out a howl of laughter, "Is it not also against the law to kidnap someone? Since you started this mess, lets see who finishes it." She shouted suddenlt, "Three!"

Sally trembled and didn't say a word.

"Two!"

"One!"

Blaze slashed the squirrels face with no hesitation. Sally screamed out of shock. There was a small cut on her cheek and tears started coming out of the girls eyes instantly. She cried in fear, "OKAY STOP ILL TELL YOU!"

Blaze backed off but still held the knife close. "I'm listening."

Sally took a deep breath, "Amy is in Producer Robotnik's room." Shadow's smirk fell and anger and frustration filled his eyes. He sprinted upstairs immediately while Blaze looked down at Sally. She smacked her acoss the face again, grabbing her by the chin and holding her up, "Let me warn you again, if you dare mess with my sister after today, than I shall come back for you ass and give you ten times more the pain that I did today." Her golden orbs glared at Sally's, flames dancing around in them, "Sally Acorn, I will make your life a living hell." Her eyes looked at the fruit knife in her hand, "I had no idea you were such a wuss." She dropped Sally on the floor as the squirrel was frozen in spot. Blaze walked out of the room where Tail's was waiting in the hallway. She motioned for him to follow her upstairs.

* * *

...

...

...

* * *

This wasn't the first time that Sally had sent females to his room. He understood what the gift was the minute she sent him the text. The entire journey back to the hotel, Robotnik was trying to guess who it would be this time. The moment he opened the door and found Amy on his bed, his body started to grow with excitement. He didn't expect Sally to have sent Amy, the one he had been wanting for a while now. Amy was on his bed, her entire face was flushed. Robotnik couldn't help himself. Just the image of her curled up like that was enough to turn him on. He took large strides to the bed and stared at her beautiful face for a while. After a few moments, he opened his phone and sent a thank you to Sally. He then reached out to caress Amy's beautiful skin. After a few moment's of caressing, Robotnik went and hopped into the shower.

Robotnik washed himself quickly before hopping out of the shower. While he dried himself, he looked towards his cologne. He sprayed himself with it all over his fat body, then he tied a towel over his fat waste and walked out of the bathroom into his bedroom. He grinned as he climbed into the bed. He touched her swimsuit, and was shocked to feel that her skin was burning. The heat sent a frenzy throughout his body.

Amy felt as though she was on fire. She was excited and sensitive, but the moment something touched her she was repulsed. It was the first time she had felt so disgusted. She was sure this was not normal, and she started to struggle. In a hurry, Robotnik yanked off Amy's swimsuit in one tear. She frowned, she could smell a scent that was unfamiliar to her. A man's scent. Amy frowned deeper and forced her eyes to open. Even though she could get a good look at the man, she still couldn't register who he was in her dizzy state. But it definitley wasn't Shadow.

Amy lifted her hands weekly, trying to push away the hands that kept invading her. No matte how much she struggled, the man was too over powering. Her struggles only turned Robotnik on more as he lowered his head to kiss her face. Amy tilted her head away from him, hiding her face in disgust. Her struggles seemed useless. Robotnik was closer to getting what he wanted before his phone started to ring. He ignored it, but the ringing kept going on relentlessly. He looked at the phone in realization that who was calling him was his wife. He growled and grabbed his phone as he went to the bathroom to answer her call.

Even though she was out of it, Amy realized she was in danger. She took this opportunity and tried to stand up, but the moment she did this she landed on the floor by the bed. She hissed and started crawling towards the door to the hallway. Her hand reached the handle, and she could feel the freedom she was about to have once more. However, Robotnik ended the call quickly and returned. He realized Amy was no longer on the bed, but kneeling on the floor by the door. He cooed her name as he approached her and lifted her into his arms. Amy had used up all her strength and could no longer fight. That turned him on more as she complied. He took her over to the bed and lowered himself over her.

* * *

...

...

...

* * *

The moment she had said Amy was in Robotnik's room, Shadow understood her words instantly. It had been an hour since Amy had been missing, and the hot springs was half an hour away. That meant she had been in his room for one hour. Shadow's fingers trembled as he reached for his phone to call the hotel manager. He demanded they give him Robotnik's room key. Once he reached Robotnik's room, there was a staff member waiting for Shadow there. They handed him the key and then left, leaving him to his business. He opened the door, his heart racing and fingers shaking uncontrollably. When he entered it was silent. Then he looked towards the bedroom door, and approached it. Before he entered, he noticed it was already halfway open. He caught a glimpse of what was going on as he approached. Robotnik was laying on Amy, who was naked. Her eyes were blank and lifeless as though she were a doll. A new fire jolted through Shadow's body. He kicked the door open the rest of the way and stomped in. The door collided with the wall making a loud BANG sound which jolted Robotnik out of his bed. Before he was able to see who was attacking him, Shadow grabbed the man and shoved him into a wall, launching a multitude of punches at his face. He used all of his strength to smash Robotnik's head against his knee when it had dangled forward, and Robotnik fell to the floor with a thud. Shadow lifted him up and then swung his leg into the fat man's get as Robotnik rolled a few feet away in pain. Before he could regather his senses, Shadow started kicking his face, showing no mercy.

"WHO SAID THAT YOU COULD TOUCH HER? WHO THE FUCK ALLOWED YOU TO TOUCH HER?" He next aimed between the fat mans thighs, who immediately gasped. Shadow kicked the man in the balls a few more times while shouting, "HOW DARE YOU TOUCH MY WOMAN. I'LL MAKE YOU PAY!" He had grabbed a nearby glass cup and threw it at Robotnik's head. A deep cut showed up suddenly as fresh blood oozed out of his flesh. Blaze and Tails showed up at that moment and paled. Blaze had to regain herself, and Tails ran out to hold back Shadow.

"Shadow, it's enough! You're going to kill him if you keep this up!" Shadow pushed his assistant away and turned to attack Robotnik again. Tails desperately grabbed his friend by the waist, "Listen! If you kill him, it'll be the end of your career as well!" He turned and saw Amy unconscious on the bed, "Also, Amy is unconscious, we need to call an ambulance immediately!"

These words seemed to snap Shadow out of his trance as he turned to see Amy laying in the bed. Shadow turned away from Robotnik, who was shivering in fear. He stared at Amy's body before turning back once more to Robotnik, holding him up by the collar of his shirt, "Listen here you fat man, in this place I don't care who you fraternize with. However, Amy is the only one you can't touch. This is a warning, if you ignore me after this than you will pay."

Without looking at Blaze or Tails again he turned to the bed where Amy was and walked over to her. He wrapped a blanket around her body as he covered her up properly, and then carried her out of the room. Tails and Blaze followed him out, leaving Robotnik in his room. Blaze tried to reach out and touch Amy, "How is she?" But Shadow just tightened his grip on Amy instinctively, not saying a word as he walked faster. They all reached the elevator and took it to the parking lot. Shadow got in the back with Amy, holding her closely, while Blaze and Tails sat up front. Tails sped all the way to the hospital as silence engulfed the car. Blaze stares at the road ahead for some time and then looks in the rear view mirror. She could see Shadow was still holding onto Amy protectively, while her head rested on his chest. He was treating Amy with utmost care, something Blaze had never seen before. Blaze felt the corner of her eyes sting, her heart aching. She wanted to look away from the two but she couldn't.

Once they arrived at the hospital, Shadow wordlessly left the car carrying Amy. Tails and Blaze again followed suit but by the time they had reached the entrance he was already on the second floor with Amy. The doctors quickly came in and did check ups, did blood work, and anything else they could possibly do. Before they left, they inserted an IV into her arm, and went to take the results to the lab. Amy lay on the hospital bed sleeping and Shadow snapped his fingers to motion to Tails, "Please go fetch some spare clothes." Tails nodded and turned to Blaze before leaving, "Did you need a ride back?" Blaze shook her head no. So Tails politely nodded and left. Blaze clenched both sides of the chair and turned her head to look at Shadow. He was still staring at Amy as though she was the only one in the now he was oblivious to his surroundings, the only one being in his eye of view is Amy.

An hour later Blaze was feeling a bit tired and got up to grab two cups of water. She placed one down in front of Shadow but he didn't even look at her or the cup. Blaze sipped her water, feeling out of place and feeling as if she was doing more bad than good by staying there.

Tails returned at about one in the morning with a fresh bag of clothes for Amy. He looked over at Shadow and placed them beside the ebony hedgehog, "Amy's clothes." Shadow turned to look at his assistant and thanked him. Tails left the room silently, that's when he noticed Blaze was standing outside the room staring out the window.

"Miss Blaze, Shadow can take care of her. Would you like a ride back to the hotel?"

Blaze shook her head, "No, that's fine. Once Amy is in a stable condition, than I will leave." Tails nodded and instead stood beside her as he just kept her company. Thrity minutes later, Amy's IV drop was almost empty. Shadow clicked the emergency button as he informed the staff. The nurses tended to Amy and checked her temperature and blood pressure before changing the IV. After confirming their thoughts they looked back to Shadow, one of them speaking.

"She injested a lot of hallucinogens, thankfully it wasn't enough to kill her. It would be better for her to stay overnight so her condition doesn't worsen." He nodded and he shooed them away. Once they were gone he reached out to touch Amy's neck, feeling for a pulse. Her pule had finally calmed down. He took a deep breath and stripped her of her clothes and put on the new ones, before recovering her with the hospital blanket. Then he went to the bathroom and got a towel and began to get it wet. He came out and gently started to wipe at Amy's fur.

 _'That bastard touched and violated her, dirtied her fur. I have to make sure she's clean when she wakes up in the morning.'_

Outside the room Blaze's phone vibrated. She reached into her bag and fished it out, then noticed she had several missed calls from Silver. She picked it up, "Hello?"

Silver was anxioue as there was panic in his voice, "Blaze? Where are you? You didn't come back. Did something happen?"

"Ah, I'm sorry Silver..." Blaze's voice cracked and tears fell, "Amy was in danger and now she's in the hospital... It happened so quickly that I forgot to tell you.."


	44. What happened?

There was a pause on the other end of the line before Silver started speaking again, "Is Amy okay? Is it a serious injury?"

"Amy's fine. She's asleep and recovering... Do you think you could come get me from the hospital?"

"Of course, babe. I'll be there soon." The two hung up and Blaze sighed. She turned to the ward, but before entering she saw something that made her stop in her tracks. She peaked through the window to see Shadow cleaning Amy's body. Blaze suddenly became transfixed on the two as she watched intently. Shadow was rubbing gently but thoroughly, as though he wanted to get rid of any trace of Robotnik that was on her body. After Shadow was done cleaning Amy, he began changing her clothes, a very gentle and loving action that took Blaze aback. She watched as he positioned her on the bed when he was done. He stared at Amy's face before he caressed her forehead. Blaze saw a loving and tender look she had never seen before plastered on his face. In the many years she had known him, she had never seen Shadow make a face like that to anyone. In that moment, Blaze felt like a stranger. Her phone vibrated suddenly, snapping her out of her trance. She quickly read the incoming caller ID being Silver. She answered it quickly as she walked away from the ward, "Hello?"

"Hey babe, I'm parked downstairs at the front of the entrance. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm coming down soon. See you in a few minutes." Blaze hung up and looked back at the ward in time to see Shadow kissing Amy's forehead. She gulped and turned to walk to the exit quickly. Tails came out of the elevator just as she was about to enter and gave her a sweet smile.

"Blaze, are you leaving?"

"Yes, I'm going now. Shadow has this taken care of so... I should get back to Silver." Tails nodded.

"Have a pleasant evening, Blaze."

"You too. Later."

Blaze walked to the elevator and hit the first-floor button. As the doors slide shut, she slid down the wall and took a few deep breaths. She stood back up shakily as the doors opened and made her way to Silver's car. He gave her a kiss and rubbed a hand through her purple cat ears, "Hey babe, are you okay?"

"I'm fine..." Her eyes closed as she leaned on his shoulder. He smiled and covered her with his jacket as he let her sleep the entire way home. Once they got back to their apartment, he picked her up and gently carried her up the stairs to their room. He opened the door and then shut it with his foot. He went to their main bedroom and put her in his bed, tucking her in best he could and kissing her lips gently before going to the bathroom to shower. Once she heard the water running, Blaze's eyes opened weakly. She buried herself deeper beneath the blankets and the pillows. The image of Shadow kissing Amy lingered in her brain. She had wanted confirmation on her suspicions. She wanted to know if Amy was the girl he was in love with and had been in love with for a long time.

But now, she knew. All these years the girl Shadow had loved was Amy. But how? Blaze had always thought that Shadow and Amy weren't that close. How did he fall in love with Amy over her? She tried to think deeper about things that the two went to, before she started putting things together.

Sometimes when they were in high school, Shadow never went to school gatherings. However, it seemed that every single gathering Amy went to, Shadow would go to. However, the two of them would hardly sit together or talk.

There was also one time when Sonic had organized a camping trip in the mountains. That night, Blaze had woken up late during the night and had crawled out of her tent to pee, when she saw Shadow and Amy sitting very close together near the campfire. She was tired and shrugged it off. When she went back to her tent, she saw Shadow fanning off Amy, but again shrugged it off and went back into her tent. The next morning, she found out everyone who had slept in a bag outside had gotten bit by mosquitos, everyone except Amy. That night, Shadow must have spent the entire night chasing the mosquitos off her.

There was another time when they entered college. Normally she and Amy would travel to see Shadow and he would treat them to lunch. However, afterwards, Blaze had tried to go see Shadow by herself, and he would find ways to refuse seeing her. At the time she thought he was just busy with filming, but it must have been because Amy had not come up with her.

And after that, Shadow would sometimes initiate conversations with Blaze. She believed nothing of it, but now she was recalling that every time they talked he always seemed to ask about Amy. All these years, he hadn't really cared to talk to her, but only wanted to know about Amy.

If it hadn't been for tonight, she would have never found out how much Shadow could love someone.

The hospital was silent and peaceful. Shadow felt his body calm and relax as he stared at Amy's sleeping and calm body. He felt as though he had gone through a life or death situation, and he felt exhausted. If it hadn't been for Rouge's call warning him, who knows how far Robotnik would have gone with Amy?

And it was in that moment, that a fear ran up Shadow's spine, it grabbed his heart, and drowned him. If anything were to happen to her in his crew, he could never forgive himself. It was like there was something stuck in Shadow's throat. He held Amy's arm gently. The image of him charging into Robotnik's room, beating him almost to death, was still fresh in his memories. He couldn't help but grip onto her hand tighter, before lifting his hand up to kiss her slim fingers.

At two in the morning, Tails who had been outside waiting decided he could do nothing more and went to sleep in the car. Just as he got comfortable in his seat with a blanket snuggled around him warmly, there was a knock on his window. He jumped suddenly, as he reached around for a weapon in case it was someone trying to break in, when he saw Shadow standing outside holding Amy in his arms. He sighed and unlocked the doors as Shadow slid himself and Amy in the back seat.

"Jesus, Shadow, you scared me."

"Sorry..." His voice was soft and quiet, before he spoke again, "Let's take Amy back to the house." Tails nodded, fighting off his sleepy state, as they drove off towards the mansion. When the car reached the mansion, Shadow carried Amy in his arms to the front door. Madame Vanilla had just woken up and looked at the two in a confused state.

"What's wrong with Amy, Mr. Shadow?" Vanilla asked in a concerned voice.

He didn't say anything as he walked past the rabbit and put Amy in her bed, tucking her in and closing the door as he made his way back to the entrance where Vanilla stood. He turned to her, his tone flat, "Don't make her anything too cold for breakfast, and don't make her anything too oily."

"Yes, sir."

"Don't disturb her until she wakes up. Other than that, I'll be off." She nodded as he walked out the door to attend to more business. She frowned as she looked up at the stairs, wondering what had happened to the poor pink hedgehog.

Amy had had a dream. In the dream, she was with her father and her mother. Though they had left her so many years ago in a tragic car accident, she still remembered their young smiling faces. She also remembered their courtyard, their apple trees, and how every autumn there would be bright red fruits hanging from the limbs. In her dream, she also saw a young boy standing under one of the trees. He was a black hedgehog in a school uniform. As she got closer, the young male turned into a modern clothed, charming yet cold Shadow the hedgehog. Suddenly the scene changed again. Shadow was wearing a dark suit, her a dress. Their friends surrounded them, giving them their best wishes. Were they getting married?

Shadow and her exchanged vows, rings, and during a round of cheers, Shadow had leaned down to kiss her.

Then Amy woke up from her dream. The world around her was silent. She blinked before realizing she was at home. She sat up quickly in a panic and turned to look to her side and realized no one was beside her. The curtains weren't shut, so the sunlight was very bright. Wasn't she at the hot spring last night? How did she get back home? Amy tried very hard to remember what had happened last night but couldn't remember. She reached for her phone seeing as she had a shoot that afternoon when she saw it wasn't around. She frowned and looked around the room for her bag. Not there either. She pulled the covers off her as she hopped off the bed, her pink feet taking her to the kitchen where she saw Vanilla. The rabbit turned and smiled at Amy.

"Good morning, Amy."

"Good morning, have you seen my bag?"

Vanilla shook her head, "I'm afraid when I saw you this morning Shadow was carrying you. I didn't see a bag."

"I didn't have my bag?" She looked away momentarily. Shadow was carrying her? She looked down and saw herself in some brand-new Chanel clothes. What were these? Why had Shadow carried her home? Vanilla smiled and put a plate on the counter, motioning to it. It was a croissant with eggs.

"Here you are, breakfast."

Amy nodded and leaned against the counter as she ate her breakfast, muttering a quick thank you. Once finished she handed the plate back to Vanilla, still confused as to why she couldn't remember the events from last night. She looked at Vanilla, "Did Shadow say anything to you this morning when he brought me home?"

"He told me to let you rest and to not disturb you. And to make you something warm and not only for breakfast."

"Nothing else?"

Vanilla shook her head, "I tried to ask what happened, but he did not want to answer. But other than that, that was it."

"Hm..." Amy looked a bit confused but shrugged it off. Before she could say anything else, the doorbell rang. Vanilla smiled, "I'll go see what that is." She turned to the main entrance and Amy washed the plate herself, not wanting to give Vanilla more work than she needed. Suddenly she was hugged from behind and jumped. She saw Cream hugging her with tears in her eyes.

"Amy! You're okay!"

Vanilla smiled at the two, one who was confused and the other in tears, "Miss Cream, can I get you something to eat?"

"Yes, please and thank you." Cream smiled, before turning to her pink friend. "I'm so glad you're safe Amy! You don't know how scared I was! Sally that bitch! I knew she wasn't a good person, but she went too far this time! But don't you worry Amy! This time she buried herself into the ground! I heard Blaze kicked her ass last night also! The news and the media have completely been exposing all her scandals! Even her fans have turned their backs on her!"

Amy was in a daze as Cream went on and on nonstop without breathing the entire time. When Vanilla came back with the little rabbit's food, Cream stopped her rant and chowed down quickly. Amy blinked, held her head, and looked at Cream calmly.

"Cream, what are you talking about? What happened with Sally?"

Amy's question made Cream choke on her food. After a few moments, Cream realized Amy seriously didn't know what happened. If Amy didn't remember, then Cream would tell her. She put down her fork and held Amy's hand gently, "Sally drugged you and took you to Robotnik's hotel room last night. Robotnik almost raped you. He sexually assaulted you for sure, but Shadow and Blaze were able to get to you on time before anything else could happen."

Amy tensed up, her eyes widened as her eyes investigated Cream's with disbelief and shock. "I was almost... raped?"

"You really don't remember...?" Cream asked quietly.

"Amy, someone already threw out the drinks that you drank that were drugged. So, we already lost the evidence..." Cream said quietly. But if it hadn't been for Rouge last night, we wouldn't have been able to find you. Rouge could tell something wasn't right, so we looked at the video tapes and sure enough, there was footage of Sally and her assistants pulling you away. The drug had already taken affect and you couldn't fight back.

Amy didn't say another word as Cream went on. The rabbit took a deep breath, "I wanted to call Blaze, but Rouge insisted we call Shadow first. So, we called Shadow and he took off to the hotel, and apparently Tails and Blaze went with him. Rouge told me that Sally admitted to taking you to Robotnik's room." Cream sighed, "But because the news would affect you badly, so news of what happened were cut off early. Not many people know."

She tightened her grip on Amy's hand as the pink hedgehog's eyes filled with tears, "If you want to thank someone, you should thank Shadow. He was the one who saved you last night. If he hadn't rushed back from his meeting immediately last night, Robotnik would have..." She trailed off, not wanting to imagine the worst that could have happened. Amy's eyes trailed down to her arm, where they were a hole in her arm from what looked like an IV. Had Shadow taken her to the hospital last night? Vanilla did say that Shadow was the one who brought her home. On top of that, now people were coming out and exposing Sally for the person she was. This was going to be the end of Sally's career...

"There is another thing that happened..." Cream whispered, "Robotnik pulled out his billion investment in the movie. That was half the movie production and costs. The other billion was invested by Shadow. If we can't continue shooting this show, then Shadow will also have lost a billion in this." Amy's eyes widened, "For him to go after Sally is one thing, she deserves it. However, if we can't find someone to cover the investment that we lost, they will have to stop filming."

Panic ran through Amy in that moment.

Because Robotnik had pulled his investment, the production team had stopped working temporarily. Cream had showed up first with Amy to help retrieve her bag, and to stay with her and make sure she wasn't alone again. A few minutes later the two left, and after they did that's when the news about Robotnik pulling out his investment started to pour in. Amy had been on twitter all day, reading all the tweets people were talking about. Her mind was filled with willed thoughts all night, but she forced them to calm down once Vanilla had told her to come down for dinner. When dinner was over she had gone back to her bedroom when her phone rang.

The call came from Sonic's mother, Aleena. She never called much unless she needed Shadow to come and pretend to be Sonic. Amy grabbed the phone and walked to the balcony. She opened the windows, and then opened the phone, "Auntie Aleena." When she was around outsiders, she was to call Aleena mom, however in private she could call her Auntie.

"Good evening, Amy. Have you had dinner yet?"

"I have. It was delicious. How about you, Auntie?"

"Oh, just waiting on your uncle to get back so we can eat together." There was a pause before a continuation, "Do you remember that Sonic's birthday is next Friday?"

"I remember." Amy lied. She had honestly forgotten in how busy she had been.

"Sonic's birthday party must be well managed. You must inform Shadow of this."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Okay, that'll be all. Have a great rest of your evening, Amy."

"You too, Auntie." Amy hung up and sighed. She stared back at her phone. Should she call Shadow or text him? Before she could decide, she received a text from Cream.

"Amy, I just heard some more about what happened last night with Robotnik. He also had to go to the hospital last night. He was hurt bad. Robotnik won't say who did it, but a lot of his stuff in his hotel room was smashed. There was a lot of blood on the floor. There was glass everywhere, and the coffee table was kicked over. And I also heard Robotnik didn't want to pull out his investment! He was forced to!"

Amy dropped her phone. "Shadow, you didn't..."

She thought for a moment. Why was Shadow doing all of this for her? It wasn't like this was the first time Shadow had saved or protected her either. There was the time with Sally insulting her at the dinner, and there was the swing incident. Though she was a little upset that he would ruin his own career for her, a part of her was warm and happy. She really wanted to see Shadow now. She quickly opened her phone and called Shadow.

Rouge waited outside the meeting room of the company's headquarters as she saw many motions storm out with scowls on their faces. She stood in the hall for a while, before going to get some coffee. She carried her coffee and walked over to Shadow's office. She knocked on the door but didn't hear a peep from inside. She walked in anyway, not really caring if he got mad. She saw him standing in front of his window smoking a cigarette. His attitude from earlier was different. Instead of the intense and rude vibe he had earlier during the meeting, his aura was now cold like usual. He sighed as he heard the click clack of her heels making their way to his desk. "What Rouge?"

"That billion-dollar investment... you thought of a plan on how to get it yet?"

He said nothing to her and she sighed. She pulled something out of her wallet and placed it on his desk loudly. He turned to see a few bank cards laying on his desk. She smiled, "These cards have my earnings from the movies I've filmed all these years. Besides the amount the industry strips from me, I still have quite a bit on my hands. If you add it all up, that's about five to six million. The pin code is 123456."

His eyes narrowed, "I don't remember us being such good friends Rouge..."

"Afraid I'm up to no good?" Rouge smirked. Rouge didn't want to scheme against Shadow. She understood you could hardly trust anyone in the entertainment industry. However, she didn't want to see this place fall. That and Shadow was that person's older brother..."Look, I'm not joking anymore. If you're worried, then just take it as my investment into the movie. When we start earning money, just give me a share."

"Thanks, but that's okay." He smoked a cigarette, "I don't need anyone else's help to protect Amy."

"So how will you produce a billion out of nothing?"

"I sold ten percent of my shares of the industry." He replied calmly. Rouge's eyes widened.

"What!? Shadow? Are you crazy? Jesus, the stuff you're willing to do for this girl..." She sighed, "If you sell ten percent of your shares, you realize there is a possibility you will no longer be the chairman of the company? The entire fortune you spent to build this company could fall into someone else's hands."

"So, what?" He huffed, "I earned all of this for her to begin with." It was like he was talking to himself when he spoke next, "I'd let them have all my money if I could go back in time and change everything."

After who knows how long, Shadow's phone went off. The caller ID lit up with her name on it, Amy Rose.


	45. Do you know who he likes?

The office was silent. Rouge stared down at Shadow's ringing phone and then shot a teasing smirk at him. "Gonna get that?" He pulled it out from his pocket and shot her a glare and looked at the incoming message. His hand instinctively put out the cigarette, and he picked up the call.

 _"Shadow...?"_

Since the two were warming up to each other still, hearing Amy call him by his name like that surprised him and her as well. A hint of sweat formed on Shadow's hand as he held the phone tighter. Shadow waited for a long time, but he couldn't hear any words from Amy after she called his name. His brows twitched, but he managed to ask softly, "What's the matter?"

 _"Are you busy tonight?"_

Shadow was a bit confused at her question, so he asked again, "What's the matter?"

 _"If you're not busy tonight, could you come home...?"_

All in all, it had been almost half a year since they got married. This was the first time she called him to come home. As usual, the two of them were mutually respectful to one another, besides occasionally sharing a bed, they were no different from strangers. But in that instant, Amy was really calling Shadow to come home, which made Shadow really happy. He felt an unspeakable throb his chest. It made him stand in front of the floor-to-ceiling window for a long time without saying a word. Amy waited for a while, but Shadow didn't reply. She wasn't confident he would reply to begin with, so now she was growing more uneasy by the second. Even though he didn't reject her, he was silent.

 _"I have something I want to tell you... if you don't have time, then..."_

"I'll be home in about half an hour." Shadow finally found his voice. Before Amy could respond, Shadow had already hung up. He grabbed his coat and threw it on as Rouge smiled, "Go get her." Shadow mumbled something under his breath and left the headquarters as he headed home.

* * *

Amy was waiting downstairs when she heard Shadow's car coming up the driveway. She hopped up as she heard the sound of the garage door opening and closing. She walked towards the door just as the doorbell rang. She took a deep breath and straightened out her quills. She stretched her hand out to pull the door open quickly. The door opened and Shadow stood there, staring at her. She bent down and grabbed his home slippers and set them in front of him. He slipped out of his work shoes and into the slippers. His lips moved but no sound came out as Amy had been spacing out. He put his car keys up and started taking his jacket off. She smiled as she followed him, a hanger in her hand as she put his jacket on the hanger and put it back in the closet. She turned back to him, "Have you ate? I can go heat up some dinner."

"Sure." His response was short and simple, but she could tell there was no coldness in his voice. He waited at the dining room table as Amy heated up some leftover dinner steak that Vanilla had made. As Shadow ate, he took her appearance into his eyes. She was wearing some light pink pajama shorts and a tank top. Her quills were pulled into a ponytail. She looked small and petite. She was really playing the role of wife tonight, and it gave off a warm mood in the room. Shadow was a little bit stunned. He finished his meal, and then eyed the bedroom, then eyed Amy. He stood up and made his way upstairs. Amy turned and called Vanilla to clean the mess before she went to follow Shadow upstairs to their bedroom. Shadow went straight to the shower while Amy applied some cream on her skin. She sat in the middle of the bed, waiting for Shadow to get done. When he emerged from the bathroom in his own pajamas, his eyes took in her sexy figure on the bed. He forced his eyes to look away as he cleared his throat, "Didn't you say you wanted to tell me something?"

She nodded as she remembered what she had wanted to tell him. "Sonic's mom called. She mentioned that it's Sonic's birthday next week and she wanted me to remind you. They wanted to hold a celebratory party."

He turned his back to her as he turned the lights off and turned the tv off, "Oh." Amy bit her lip as she scooted closer to him from behind.

"Cream also told me about what happened last night... thank you."

Shadow continued to watch the tv, only nodding in response. His fists clenched the bedsheets, "Mhm."

"And regarding Sally and Robotnik, I want to thank you for that also. But you didn't need to remove Robotnik and force him to take his investment. I could have just avoided him later on."

The tv turned off suddenly as red eyes narrowed and glared into Amy's. "I've already settled that issue. But you should take an incident like that more seriously." He got close to her, and Amy's heart raced for a moment. He went past her and laid down on his side of the bed with his back to her. She smiled and laid on her side as she snuggled deeper into the blankets. There was no bear to separate them. As the night went on, she could hear Shadow's breathing more and more. His scent started to fill her, and she held her breath. She felt his fingers graze her skin, but then she felt him pull away suddenly and turn his back to her. She inwardly pouted, she was not going to let this moment go to waste. Her body gravitated towards him as her arms wrapped around his chest, hugging him from the back. She got closer, and he got a bit more sexually frustrated. He felt her head against his back fur, her teeth grazing against his spine. Shadow tensed, and before he could move again, Amy hugged herself closer to his waist. He reached for the tiny hands that held him, but her head tilted to the side and landed on his arm. She nuzzled her face onto his warm chest fur. He quickly switched them as he turned over onto her, glaring down at her. She frowned at his sudden change in behavior, her cheeks flushing, her green eyes glowing up at him. "Shadow?"

Her voice was soft and lusty. After she had called his name, she teasingly licked her lips. She raised her hands to tangle her fingers in his chest fur. He clenched the sheets next to her head as he leaned down to kiss her lips. Amy quickly accepted as she welcomed him, her arms wrapping around his head as she pulled him closer. Her submitting to him made him even more turned on. This was probably the first time that they had ever made love and for it to feel like... love.

* * *

The next morning neither said a word to each other. Both hedgehogs silently agreed to not say anything as they made their way back to the set. Amy was afraid that if she said something, Shadow would return to his previous state. Shadow was afraid that if he said something, Amy would ask for a reward. So neither said anything as they left in their own cars. Shooting scenes for the show ended up continuing. For three days they had to stay at the hotel. Neither one of them wanted to, as they just wished to go home and hope for another night with the other under the sheets again. Three nights before Sonic's birthday, a scene had to be shot in the city close to the mansion. So the two went back to the mansion right after shooting.

That night, they had made love again.

* * *

Amy woke up the next morning but didn't see Shadow. She had no scenes, and it was already noon. She went downstairs to see that Vanilla had already made lunch. She washed her hands and sat at the dining table ready to eat when Vanilla made her way to exit the room, "I'll go get Mr. Shadow."

"He's still here?" Amy asked suddenly.

"Yes. Mr. Tails showed up so the two of them are discussing things in the study room."

"I'll go get them then, you can check on the soup." Amy stood up and walked out of the room before Vanilla could argue and stood outside Shadow's study room. She leaned against the wall, her ears flattening as they hugged the door to hear what was going on in the other room.

 _"This Friday I have to go over to the main estate for Sonic's birthday. Make sure my schedule is cleared."_

 _"Isn't your birthday this Friday also?"_

Amy stood paralyzed. Sonic and Shadow shared the same birthday? She knew Shadow never used to celebrate or talk about his birthday. Whenever she tried to ask Sonic about it, he would never tell her. She assumed it to be a sensitive topic for Shadow.

 _"Shadow, you're going to celebrate Sonic's birthday Friday. Will you celebrate your own also?"_

 _"I don't have a choice. And I frankly don't care to celebrate my own birthday."_

Amy frowned. She peered into the little window in the door. She caught a glimpse of Shadow at his desk rummaging through papers and documents. He paused as though a thought had struck him. How could anyone remember Shadow's birthday? There wasn't much to celebrate, and who would want to celebrate with him? Tails decided not to say anymore, and silence fell onto the room. Amy could sense the loneliness and isolation just from looking at his face. Amy leaned on the wall and gathered her bravery, and knocked on the door, alerting the two of lunch.

After lunch, Shadow and Tails had left to go do work. Amy wanted to do something for Shadow and Sonic's birthday. She thought about calling Cream, but the rabbit appeared to be busy. She thought it might be a good idea to call Blaze, so she picked up her phone and dialed the cat. Blaze had flexible working hours, so she agreed to meet up with Amy immediately. Amy and Blaze both had to renew their license plates that day. so the two of them met in the middle of the busy city by taking the metro bus. Blaze and Amy had been in a store shopping. Blaze realized that it was Sonic's birthday soon, so she should buy him a present. She turned to say something to Amy, when she realized Amy had been staring at a clip tie on the other side of the room.

"Amy, isn't one present enough? How many present's are you getting for Sonic?" Blaze teased.

"I have a friend in the crew who also has a birthday the same day." Amy came up with the excuse quickly. She knew how heart broken and upset Blaze would be if she had said it was Shadow. She held the clip tie up to her as she posed, "What do you think?"

Blaze turned and looked at Amy from the side, "Hm, I like it. Good choice." Amy smiled and took the tie and the other present for Sonic up to the counter. Blaze also put hers up there as she looked at the cashier.

"We'll buy these together."

"Alrighty." The cashier went to scan the items before Amy moved Blaze's present to the side.

"No thanks. Please, allow me to buy my own presents with my own money sis." Amy smiled brightly at Blaze who smiled back and shrugged. The two left the store with their presents. Amy brought up the situation with Sally and Robotnik, and thanked Blaze for standing up for her and coming to her rescue. Blaze hugged her sister, still mad at what the squirrel had done. In the past, she might not have known it, but the scandals of Sally coming out the day after Sally's situation with Amy was definitley the work of Shadow. Then, she heard Shadow forced Robotnik out of the crew. Would Shadow go so far for Amy to even sacrafice his money? Why did Shadow like Amy anyway? The cat looked up to see Amy walk out of a dressing room in a beautiful pink sun dress. Was it her looks, her natural beauty? Who knew...

The two of them decided to walk around a bit longer. Amy had been trying to secretly plan on how to throw Shadow a surprise birthday party, but didn't know how. When they entered the coffee shop, she noticed it covered in red and black balloons. Inspired, she decided she was going to decorate the mansion to surprise Shadow. She quickly opened up amazon on her phone as she and her sister sipped their coffee. She ordered a bunch of baking kits so that she could back Shadow a home made cake and ordered a home made banner. Amy then went to twitter, where a notification popped up from a local news media station. She clicked it, not even surprised to see Shadow on the main cover.

"Neh, Shadow is starting to work in places over seas..." Amy said out loud. Blaze nodded.

"Seems he's quite busy."

Amy quickly sent a text to Shadow, " _You're working overseas now?"_

 _"Yeah"_

Amy smiled at the quick response. Amy stared at her phone scream, remembering the times when she used to make Shadow treat her and Blaze when they went to visit him. She sent him another message.

 _"Did you want to treat me to dinner?"_

 _"Sure, what do you want to eat?"_

 _"Anything's fine with me ~ When did you want to eat?"_

 _"Today."_

Amy tried to surpress the blush on her face. She felt excited that he wanted to see her so soon.

 _"I'm with Blaze right now. Is it okay if she comes?"_

 _"Yeah, that's fine. Did you drive? Want me to pick you both up?"_

 _"If you want to. I'm at Mobius Cafe."_

 _"Kay, I'll be there soon. I'll call you when I get there."_

Amy smiled and put her phone away, a sparkle in her eye as she looked at her sis. "Hey Blaze, I just sent a text to congratulate Shadow and he's going to treat us to food. Who would have thought he would agree? Do you want to eat with us?"

The mention of Shadow being brought up made Blaze freeze. She bit her lip and forced a smile, "Sure, whatever. I don't care." Her eyes narrowed in confusion for a moment before she looked up at Amy with a serious face. "Amy, can I ask you a question?"

Amy gave Blaze her full attention and blinked innocently, "What is it?"

"Do you know who Shadow likes?"

Amy paused and bit her straw, then made it look like she was thinking, "Hmmm... I don't. But when I asked him once he said the woman he loves is married."

Blaze looked Amy up and down and stared intently. It seemed Amy was being honest. If that was the case, it would seem Amy had no idea that she was the woman Shadow loved. She bit her lip, and didn't say anything else. "Yeah, she's married."

"Do you know who Shadow loves, Blaze?" Amy tilted her head confusingly. Blaze avertered her eyes and didn't say a word. Amy's tilted head snapped forward as she looked at Blaze seriously, "Well? Do you?"

If Amy was already married to Sonic, that means Shadow didn't want either of them to know. He must have not wanted to disrupt their marriage. If she revealed the truth, would this disrupt Amy's life?


	46. Confession

Amy's curious green eyes stared into Blaze as she waited for an answer. Blaze hesitated for a moment before forcing a smile to her lips, "How would I know who Shadow loves? He and I hardly talk. I heard as much as you did at the party that night. Some people said that the love of his life is already married, so I thought I would ask you." Amy bit her straw and looked out the cafe window, muttering an _'Oh...'_ before continuing with her drink. Blaze put her drink down on her table and tried to change the conversation, "How has Sonic been by the way? It's been a while since I've seen him."

The real Sonic was still in the hospital. He hadn't woken up yet, and not many people knew that. "He's great. But you know how it is, after he became disfigured, he doesn't like to see people very much."

"Such a shame though, if Sonic hadn't gotten into that incident, you two would surely be the top couple in all of Japan. If only he would be a little more social..."

Amy covered the guilt in her eyes by lowering her eyelashes. She was silent after that. Blaze frowned, she hadn't wanted to make her sister upset with such sensitive topics.

"But ya know, cosmetic surgery is at its best this century. I'm sure they'll be able to find a way to fix him up. Whenever he does start getting better, we'll all have to plan something."

* * *

When Shadow received Amy's message he had been sitting in a meeting. He had already gone through all the reports for that meeting so he wasn't paying very close attention. He felt his phone go off in his pocket and didn't take it out at first. But as the meeting got more boring, he decided to take it out anyway. He smirked when he saw the text was from Amy. The two went back and forth for a while before they settled on eating out later that night. He said he would pick her up soon, as he put his attention back on the meeting that was ending. When that was done, he checked the time on his phone and then stood up as everyone began to pile out of the room. As he reread the conversations between him and Amy, the corners of his lips curved upward.

"Shadow..." Tails small voice came out of no where, drawing Shadow out of his thoughts, "You have a dinner scheduled for tonight. It's booked for seven, but there's a bit of traffic. We won't make it unless we leave early."

Shadow turned, his eyes looking down in the foxes, "Cancel it." Shadow turned as he walked past the fox whose jaw was dropping, "I will take the car, you can go home. Come directly to the office in the morning. Don't come to the mansion." Without waiting for Tails to react, Shadow was already outside the office door.

* * *

Amy felt the need to pee come quickly. Perhaps it was because she had too much juice to drink. She stood up and excused herself as she dug through her purse for toilet paper. When she reached the stall and sat down, she realized she forgot to bring her phone. She hastily turned back, but then hesitated and remained seated.

Just two minutes after Amy had left, her phone had started to go off on the table. Blaze turned and looked at the phone. The words _Shadow_ lit up her phone. She hesitated and didn't pick it up. The phone hung up, but after a few seconds Shadow had redialled and the phone lit up again. Blaze hissed and picked up the phone quickly, "It's me." She said flatly, "Amy went to the bathroom. So if it's something urgent then just tell me and I'll relay the message to her."

 _"It's fine. I'm in the parking garage by the mall in lot B. Come down when she's ready."_

"Okay..." Blaze muttered, "Goodbye." She hung up the phone quickly. Just as she was about to put the phone back on the table, two shipping notifications from Amazon popped up on her screen. Blaze couldn't help but be suspicious of what Amy had bought, so she clicked it. There was cake baking equipment, balloons, candles, was this stuff all for Sonic? She then saw the gift message typed out underneath the entire thing.

 _Happy Birthday Shadow._

Blaze's eyes widened, all of this was for Shadow? So these things Amy bought weren't for Sonic's birthday... but for Shadow's? Blaze looked at the two gifts that sat across from her. Amy had said that there was a person in the crew who had a birthday the same day as Sonic's. That friend must be Shadow. The hand the cat had been using to clench onto Amy's phone clenched on it harder. With fingers on the screen, some other apps popped up endlessly. Blaze realized this just as Amy's photo gallery popped open. There weren't many photo's in Amy's collection, but one of them caught Blaze's attention immediately.

A picture of two hedgehogs, one being Amy, one being Shadow. Two lovers embraced in sheets and covers. Amy was deeply entangled in Shadow's arms. The picture was shot from an angle to where you could clearly tell the two of them were naked. Amy had a large bite on her shoulder, a sign of marking. Blaze was startled and astonished. She didn't want to believe it, but the photo on phone's screen, and the gift message all made it impossible for her to not believe it. Her head was blank before it registered, Shadow and Amy had actually slept together. She went into the details of the photo and saw it was taken two months ago.

No wonder Shadow suddenly dropped his status to play the male lead. No wonder Amy could convince Shadow to treat them to a meal. It was only because of Amy. So way back then, when she claimed Shadow had been her own boyfriend, Shadow and Amy had been secretly sleeping together? And she, the dumb cat, foolishly called Shadow her boyfriend. But Amy was married to Sonic, how could she be sleeping with Shadow? If Sonic were to find out, what would happen? Would the brothers turn against each other. There was an arranged marriage between Sonic and Amy also, how would that turn out? How happy would Auntie be if she heard Amy was sleeping around with Shadow? Blaze quickly put Amy's phone back in her spot after exiting all her apps. Her mind raced as she stirred her coffee. Amy eventually came back and smiled at Blaze.

"Sorry to make you wait." Amy sat back down. Blaze looked up at Amy's innocent face with disbelief. She had no idea that Amy was someone who could have an affair. She forced a smile back at Amy.

"Shadow called just now. He said he's waiting for us in the parking garage B lot. Should we go now?"

"Sure, let's head down." Amy grabbed her phone and slipped it into her purse as she locked arms with Blaze, the two of them walking to the exit. One sister full of high energy and spirits, and the other one shaken with disbelief. She looked at Amy's smiling face again before asking another question.

"Amy, is Sonic treating you well?"

Amy laughed, "Blaze, you have asked me this many times since I have gotten married."

"I'm just worried that you aren't happy." Inititally, Blaze was a bit worried because of what she had done, but now she was wondering if Sonic had been treating Amy terribly. Amy's smile grew warmed with Blaze's concern, but lied, "Sonic has always treated me well. You of all people should know that."

Blaze had wanted to retort. If he treated her so well why would she go behind his back? But she couldn't bring herself to say such things to Amy. So she bit her tongue, "Then all is good. I just want you to have a happy marriage."

"Neh, shouldn't you worry more about yourself? When are you and Silver gonna get married?"

Blaze felt a blush rise to her cheeks, "I..." She stopped midsentence when she saw Shadow's car.

* * *

After dinner, Blaze had gotten a cab back to Silver's apartment. Before slipping into the cab, she gave Amy a quick hug. She felt herself tense as she could feel Shadow looking at the two of them. After that, Amy had gotten back into Shadow's passenger seat. Shadow started his car once more as they drove off to the house. On the way home, Shadow had caught a glimpse of a red bag in front of Amy's knees. He recalled her saying that they had gone shopping for Sonic's birthday presents, so they must have been for Sonic.

"What did you get for him?" Shadow asked curiously. Amy smiled up at him.

"A tie."

Shadow nodded as they pulled into the garage. Amy opened the car door, flipping her hair over her shoulder casually as she grabbed her bag and gently shut the door behind her. Shadow surpressed the growl that almost came out of his mouth and followed suit. He followed her into the house. It was late, about eleven at night. Amy had changed into her pj's first and laid on the bed while he showered. She was quick to turn the lights off before changing into something a little inviting. She slipped under the bed sheets in a thin see through red night gown while she wore a black thong and bralette under it. When Shadow came out of the shower, he slipped in next to her, slightly started at the feeling of her skin. He pulled the covers off of her as he stared down at her wantingly. He climbed over her and kissed her feverishly as he quickly tore off her panties and entered her without warning. Amy moaned as she hugged him and tangled her fingers in his chest fur as she tilted her head up to deepen their kiss.

* * *

The next morning he left to attend at meeting at HQ. He had slept in a little bit so he didn't have time to eat breakfast. After the morning meeting it was already ten in the morning so he left for his next meeting, which thank God was a lunch meeting. After having lunch at the second meeting, it was then one in the afternoon. From the moment he was awake to now, he had been working tirelessly. He was finally able to take a breather. Shadow and Tails were headed to the car while Shadow was talking with someone on the phone. When the call ended, Tails looked at Shadow, "Should we head somewhere else now?"

Shadow nodded. The two climbed into the car as Tails then looked at the ebony hedgehog, "Oh by the way," He pulled out a little recorder from his pocket, "Is this yours Shadow?"

Shadow stared at the thing curiously then shook his head, "No."

"But this was found in the back of your car by the cleaning staff..." Tails said quickly. The recorder belonged to either Amy or Blaze. He sighed and took the recorder before shoving it in his pocket. The two went to the office to finish some more paper work. By the time he had finished all the necessary documents needed it was almost five in the evening. He lifted his head to massage his temples before slouching back in his chair. He rested for about five minutes before he looked at the voice recorder on his desk. He reached out and grabbed it. The recorder seemed rather worn out, so it was bought a while ago. He had no idea who it belonged to. He couldn't help but be curious. He felt like he would regret it, but he ended up hitting the play button.

 _"Amy, what did you say?"_ That voice belonged to Sonic.

 _"Amy hurry up and tell me what you were saying. Why do you need to close the door?"_

 _"Sonic, can you be serious? I have something important to tell you."_

 _"Sure sure, I'll be serious. I'll listen to whatever you have to say, as long as you buy me chilli dogs."_

There was a moment of silence before Amy had started speaking.

" _There's a saying that on earth, everyone has a better half. I believe mine has appeared, and that's you. I don't have big dreams, I just wish for us to be together. I'm not good with words, but I want you to know that no matter where life takes us, I will always love you. I believe I will never love someone as much as I love you. You might not know this, but I have always yearned to be near you. I have many dreams, and they are all about you. I just want to be with you. I just want you to love me too."_

Shadow froze.

 _"For the rest of my life, I will love only you."_

The recording ended as nothing else came through. Shadow was still and paralyzed. He didn't breathe, didn't move, didn't feel. In that moment, there was a knocking at his door. His eyes looked up as Tails walked in. "Shadow, it's already seven. Do you want to go home?"

Shadow lowered his eyes and quietly spoke, "You can go home, I'll be staying a bit later than usual."

"Okay." Tails could feel something was up with this hedgehog but said nothing. He left quickly and Shadow stared out his window. He opened it then and quickly grabbed a cigarette and started to light it. Her confession was beautiful, but it pained him for it was not meant for him. He shut his eyes and tried to suck in all the nicotine, trying to numb all his feelings. But the smoke was too much as he collapsed into a coughing fit.

* * *

Amy had found a local seller so that her supplies could have been delivered in the afternoon. In the end, two large boxs were delivered. Vanilla and Amy hid the box's upstairs in the bedroom. Shadow's birthday would be the next day and Amy was scared he would discover his things before then. Both of the boxs were placed in the dressing room cupboard. She even locked it and hid the keys in her pillowcase. Her cupboard was where she kept her luggage. And now that the boxs took up the space her luggage was sitting in the corner of the room. But then she remembered her secret box that laid on top of her luggage and she went to it. She opened the box and eyes the blue envelope that said _Shadow_ on the top of it. She took the letter that had been inside. It was written in her cursive hand writing.

 _"Shadow,_

 _There's a saying that on earth, everyone has a better half. I believe mine has appeared, and that's you. I don't have big dreams, I just wish for us to be together. I'm not good with words, but I want you to know that no matter where life takes us, I will always love you. I believe I will never love someone as much as I love you. You might not know this, but I have always yearned to be near you. I have many dreams, and they are all about you. I just want to be with you. I just want you to love me too._

 _For the rest of my live, I will only love you._

 _Amelia Rose Hedgehog."_

Amy quickly hid the box and her luggage under the bed. For the rest of the night she sat and waited in boredom. It was already late, yet he wasn't back home. She sat on the couch downstairs and watched some tv. Vanilla walked out of her room and looked at the pinkette and tilted her head. "Amy, it's almost midnight. Why aren't you asleep?"

"I'm waiting for Shadow to get home. What about you, Vanilla?" Amy asked.

"I was just getting up to grab some water, than going back to sleep." Vanilla disappeared into the kitchen for a few moments. The sound of water from the sink being poured filled Amy's ears. Vanilla walked back out and smiled at Amy, "I shall return to my sleep. I'll see you in the morning." Vanilla went back to her room and Amy sighed. After a short while, it was eleven-thirty. In half an hour it would be his birthday. Suddenly, she heard the sound of a car approaching. She jumped up quickly and put on her slippers. She rushed outside as she opened the door to the garage. The car had stopped and turned off and he looked up at her surprisingly. She smiled up at him sweetly, "You're back!"

He said no word to her as he stormed into the house. She had asked him if he was hungry, if he wanted a bath, if he needed anything, but she was only returned with silence. He walked into the study room and slammed it behind him, not letting Amy in. She tried to turn the knob to the door but it was locked. She frowned, why was he being this way with her all of a sudden? She went back upstairs and grabbed the blue box that was in the cupboard. Then she grabbed Vanilla's backup keys, then headed back for the study room.


	47. Leave her alone

_"Amy... Amy!... AMY!"_

Blaze took in a deep gasp as she sat up from her bed violently. Her eyes were widened and she tried to calm down. Silver sat up quickly next to her, holding her to him as he looked at her concerningly, "Blaze? What's wrong?" Blaze looked over at Silver and let out a sigh of relief. She was only dreaming. She hugged Silver tightly and buried her face into his chest, forcing back the tears that dotted the corner of her eyes.

"Nothing, it was just a nightmare..."

Silver's hand traced circles on her back to try and calm her down more. "Go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up in the morning, I won't let anything happen to you." She nodded. A few minutes passed and the hands stopped stroking her fur. Silver's chest rose and fell in a peaceful rhythm. He had fallen back asleep. Blaze quickly and carefully pulled his hand off as she sat up and walked out to the living room. She went and sat in front of the window and stared out into the city light as she wrapped herself up in a blanket from the couch. She recalled the nightmare quite vividly.

 _Amy's tears were filled with hurt and anger and tears as she accusingly pointed a finger to the purple cat. She felt betrayed._

 _"I know what you did! How could you do something like that to me? I thought you were the best sister I could ask for! But what kind of sister would do something like this?"_

Blaze's yellow eyes narrowed as she focused on one star in the sky. Amy, Sonic, and her, had always grown up together. They were never apart and their relationship was great. There were no secrets between the trio, at least, that's probably what Amy and Sonic thought. Blaze at one point had wanted to marry a man and was rejected by her own parents.

 _"I will not allow this relationship." Her father had spoken quickly, not wanting to linger on the conversation much longer._

 _"But why?" The Blaze staring up at her parents had been the high school Blaze who was soon to graduate._

 _"There... is an arranged marriage set for you." Blaze's eyes widened with anger, who were they to pull this kind of stunt and not tell her about it until so close to graduation?_

 _"Who?" Blaze whispered._

 _"Sonic the hedgehog."_

Blaze had closed her eyes. Who would willingly marry that idiot? She tried to talk her parents out of the arranged marriage but they held firm. She tried multiple things to get out of it, but nothing worked. On top of that, she only saw Sonic as a friend. She didn't want to be forced to marry him. At one point, Blaze had thought about disappearing off the map when she overheard a conversation...

 _"Sonic, I need you're help, but you need to keep this a secret."_

 _"Sure Ames, what's up?"_

Blaze was naturally wanting to know as well, as it was in her curiousity to know what was so secretive that Amy wouldn't confide in her own sister. She peeked around the corner and saw Amy reciting something on paper, Sonic standing over her shoulder reading it as she said it out loud. Blaze could instantly tell it was a love letter. Sonic had given her a few suggestions, so she ended up reciting it again. Blaze this time had recorded the speech on her phone. After all was said and done, Amy thanked Sonic for his advice and offered to treat him to chilli dogs. He laughed and agreed quickly. Blaze disappeared before they could see her and left for her home.

When she got home, she quickly threw her phone on her desk and hooked it up to her laptop. She adjusted and clipped some of the recording to make it sound like Amy had been confessing to Sonic. Then she copied the finalized version onto a pen recorder. She smiled and grabbed the pen and quickly made way for Sonic's house. She knew that Sonic and Amy had gone out for chilli dogs, so she took this opportunity for herself. She walked up to Sonic's mother quickly, then played the recording that was on the pen.

 _"Please, keep this a secret from them. I don't want them to know that I'm the one who was behind it."_

That is what Blaze had asked Sonic's mom, to make sure Blaze could enjoy her freedom and still have a sister who loved her. She was so happy when later on she had overheard Sonic's mom telling Blaze's mom that she intended for Sonic to marry Amy, not Blaze. But shortly after that, Blaze started having these nightmares of an angry Amy. So she tried to make up for her wrong doings by buying Amy things and being good to her. But when she discovered that Amy and Shadow were messing around behind Sonic's back, she had the pen in her purse. She left it in the back of Shadow's car as a warning. No matter how much Shadow loved Amy, he must let her go!

* * *

Amy puffed out her cheeks as she glared at the door. She shoved the keys right in while holding the present in her other hand. She turned the handle and pushed the door open and strode over to a surprised looking hedgehog who had been smoking. She furrowed her eyebrows and then quickly turned to shut the door behind her. Then she gave Shadow an angry glare once again. He glared back, "How did you get in?"

She didn't answer and instead approached him quicker, tossing the wrapped up box at him. He caught it quickly and looked at it. She turned away from him, "It's for you." He glared down at it, then back up at her. His eyebrows furrowed even more. She felt saddened again. Why had he gone back to being cold to her? She looked down at him and gave a sad smile, "Happy Birthday."

His ears twitched and he froze. His red eyes softened as he looked up into her green ones, "W-What?" When she saw him calm down a bit, she felt herself relax. She smiled a real smile again.

"Happy birthday, Shadow."

They were simple words, but to him they felt so foreign. When was the last time someone had told him Happy Birthday? He opened his mouth to retort, but couldn't find anything to say. It was like he was choking on air. His hand grasped hers as he looked up at her curiously, "How did you know it was my birthday?"

"I overheard you and Tails in the study room the other day." Amy confessed. "That's how I knew."

He pulled her closer to him as he looked at the box in thought, "What's in it?" She let out a little giggle.

"Surprises like this are more meaningful if you know what's in them after you open the box."

"Really?" He asked light heartedly. He leaned against her as he opened the present between the two of them. Her face flushed as he practically purred against her. Inside the wrapping was a golden velvet box, and inside it was a tie pin. His eyes widened momentarily. When was the last time he received something for his birthday? Yet, here he was, receiving one from the woman he had loved for years. "Thank you, Rose."

"I-I didn't know if you would like it or not." Amy said quickly, "So I picked something that I thought you would like... not knowing if you would dislike it or not." She was aware of their closeness and cherished it. She wanted to be this close to him.

"I like it... I love it." He put the case back over the box and set it aside. He held her hands quickly and took a deep breath as he looked to her with a saddness in his eyes. "It's been a long time since I celebrated my birthday." Amy frowned. She had always seen Shadow at Sonic's birthday parties but never knew any of Shadow's.

"You don't... ever celebrate your birthday?" She asked quietly.

"I never had a reason to." He replied.

She knew that Shadow and Sonic were step brothers, and she knew Shadow's mom was hiding under the radar. Even if he was an illegitamate heir, he was still Sonic's brother. Right? "What about Uncle? Didn't he ever celebrate your birthday?"

There was a scoff as Shadow looked up at Amy. He put a hand through her pink quills and carressed her cheek, "Sonic's father, my father, would have wanted me to never have been born to begin with."

Amy's heart ached all of a sudden.

"But it's fine, I've gotten used to it."

She never knew that the hedgehog she loved so deeply had a heart breaking story. "In the past, you had no one there to celebrate with... but now, you have me." His heart and mind went into a frenzy. She leaned up and kissed his cheek, "In the future, I'd like to celebrate all your birthdays with you."

Shadow pulled her to him, holding her against his chest by wrapping both arms around her waist and digging his face into her neck. She smiled and hugged him back.

"Let me hug you for a while... just a while..." He whispered.

That night they held each other peacefully. They didn't make love or have sex, they just spent the night content in each other's arms.

* * *

The next morning Shadow had awoken in a good mood. He was up before Amy as usual. He leaned down after changing into his suit and kissed her on the temple. A small smile broke out on his face as he left for downstairs, attatching his new pin to his shirt. He waved to Vanilla as he went out the door then hopped in his car and drove off. Vanilla blinked, a bit taken aback by his warm gesture.

Later on Amy had woken up. She and Vanilla had spent hours setting up the decorations and getting the cake ready before he returned. Amy smiled as she and Vanilla started making a simple cheesecake. Amy wasn't as great of a cook as Vanilla was but she did her best. In the end the cake turned out looking great, hopefully it would taste as good also. Amy wrote _"Happy Birthday Shadow"_ in red icing and then put the cake away in the freezer.

"Shadow will definitley be happy with your surprise, Amy." Vanilla said with a smile.

Amy smiled as she shut the freezer door and turned to Vanilla, "Why don't you take the day off and come back tomorrow afternoon?"

"Ah, yes, you and Mr. Shadow will want to have your privacy won't you? Those birthday kinks of his must come from somewhere." Vanilla winks as Amy blushes head to toe. "I'll clean up and then pack my bags and head home."

Amy smiled a bit, "T-Thank you, Vanilla..." She rushed upstairs to quickly look for a cute outfit to wear, since Sonic's celebration would also be later that night.

* * *

That night, Shadow had been so busy at the office he had finally made time to leave. Tails was behind him as they quickly walked down the hallway. "We need to get ready for Sonic's celebration." Shadow said to him. Just then he saw the familiar sight of a purple cat tail in the hallway and glared. "Give me five minutes. Meet me in the car." He followed the tail into Silver's office room and wasn't surprised to see Blaze sitting on the edge of Silver's chair, glaring up at Shadow.

"What?"

He threw the pen recorder at her. It hit her arm and landed on the floor beneath her. Her turned and walked out of the door when she stood up quickly and barked at him, "Shadow!" He stopped momentarily and turned to look at her over his shoulder, not showing a concerned expression. "You heard what she said didn't you?" Blaze questioned. He didn't respond but kept eye contact. Blaze eyed the pin on his shirt. How could he still wear it to work knowing that he was betraying Sonic?

"If you heard the message, then you should already know that Sonic and Amy are in love. You need to leave her alone. You're hurting her and Sonic! You're just a third party here!" He turned and glared at her but bit his tongue. He turned to walk out the door. She wasn't done though, she grabbed his arm, "Their bond will be tighter than yours."

"Listen Blaze, it has always been clear that Amy doesn't love me." He smacked her hand away from his arm, surprising her as he spoke, "I will make sure no matter what happens, that nothing bad happens to Amy. And aside from that, I willingly love Amy. I always have and I always will. I don't expect anything in return from her for it." His eyes looked at her lower as if she was an unimportant bug he could step on. Then he turned and took large strides out the door, leaving Blaze in the background with her jaw dropped.


	48. Do I disappoint you?

Shadow had left the office and stopped by Tail's apartment to get changed. He put temporary dye in his hair and covered his red streaks. Then in went the green contacts and the scar stickers. After breathing a sigh of relief, he changed into a blue navy suit and got back in his own car as he headed towards the mansion to pick up Amy. When he arrived, she was already standing outside in a skin tight purple dress with no sleeves. She had thrown a black cardigan over it to be more modest, and wore some sparkly black high heels. He bit his lip and tried to supress his inner thoughts as she climbed into the passenger seat next to him. She sent him a smile and he nodded at her in greeting. He pulled out of the driveway headed to Sonic's mansion for the party. It was quiet between the two of them the entire way, however Amy couldn't keep the smile off her face, all the while Shadow had to force and fake his.

When they showed up it was an hour before the party was due to start, so there were no guests yet. Shadow pulled into an empty space and parked the car. He took a deep breath and looked at Amy, "You ready?" Amy nodded and together they got out of the car. They linked arms and walked to the entrance where a butler stood. He had been the caretaker of the home for ages. He saw them coming and opened the door to call out to Sonic's mother, "Madame, Amy Rose is here." Amy flinched, she quickly noticed they seemed to exclude saying "Sonic" even though it was Shadow. Aleena quickly rushed to the door and greeted Amy, and only Amy. She linked her arm with Amy's other arm, quickly pulling her away from Shadow to lead her away. Shadow simply followed lightly behind, as if he wasn't there.

Aleena lead Amy over to a couch in the party room. As soon as they sat down, the butler placed a tray of tea and cups on the desk for them. He filled their cups and handed it to them. There was one cup left on the table, and it was for Shadow. The butler didn't make him any. Shadow showed no emotion as he went to stand and stare out a window on the other side of the room. Aleena smiled at Amy, "Amy, how have you been dear? Has acting been tiring?"

"No, Auntie, it's actually enjoyable." Amy said softly.

"That's good. If you're tired and want to stop filming, than just say the word. You don't have to work anymore, you can just come live with us." Something about that sent a bad feeling through Amy but she shook it away.

"Thanks, Auntie. But I like filming, so you don't have to worry about it."

Aleena's lips curled into a grim smile, "Right then. Since you like it, do as you please."

Amy realized that Shadow was standing a bit off from the three of them. She realized no one else had shown up at the party, and that for some reason Shadow's presence wasn't being awknowledged at all. She smiled as she looked up at him, "Shadow?" He turned from his spot at the window and gave her a look that said _'what is it?'_ She patted the seat next to her, "Why are you standing over there? Come sit next to me."

Aleena froze when she heard Amy's words. A hint of avoidance and disgust portrayed her features temporarily before it was replaced with that fake smile again. His eyes caught it and backed back to Amy, "There's no need." He said before turning back to his window. Aleena grinned and turned to look at Amy, as she began to chat away again with Amy. Amy didn't want to be rude, so she went along with Aleena's conversations. Every now and then, she would glance at Shadow from the corner of her eye, catching him glancing at her and then quickly looking away. He was so quiet, if she hadn't noticed him looking at her from time to time, she wouldn't have been able to tell there was someone standing by the window.

The butler leaned down next to Aleena again to ask her some questions about the party. Aleena sent Amy an apologetic look and turned to discuss more of "Sonic's" detailed birthday party. Amy nodded and set her tea cup down. Then she stood and began walking towards Shadow. She was a few feet away when a voice from the top of the stairs called out, "Amelia!" The pink hedgehog stopped in her tracks to look up and see Jules, Sonic's father standing at the entrance. He was a hedgehog with blue fur like Sonic's except darker and more rough. He smiled down at her and descended the staircase. Shadow coincidentally looked over his shoulder to see his father walking down the stair case. Once he saw the ebony hedgehog, Jule's eyes became cold and he turned his back to him. He smiled at Amy, "My, you've gotten so much prettier, Amelia."

Aleena smiled as she skipped her way towards Jules, linking her arms with his, "Amy has always been pretty, ever since she was a baby." The two then walked off towards the sofa, ignoring Shadow's existence. Amy's eyes filled with hurt and worry as she looked towards Shadow. He sighed, "I'm going to smoke a cigarette. I'll be back in a minute." He turned and left without giving her a chance to respond. She watched from the window as he lit a cigarette outside by his car.

"Amy, come here darling~" Amy gulped, and her feet found themselves heading back towards the sofa.

* * *

It was seven fourty when guests started arriving. No one knew where Shadow had gone. All that Aleena, Jules, and Amy could do was stand by the door and greet the guests one after another. Aleena shot a look to her butler, _Go find that hedgehog._ The butler nodded and understood as he left right away. Ten minutes later and Shadow had still not reappeared. Aleena became annoyed quickly and leaned down to her butler, "Where is he?" Before the butler could speak, Shadow walked through the doors and into the house. The butler walked away quickly to take care of the guests, not wanting to see Aleena's rage. Aleena quickly walked over to Shadow, the sound of her heels clicking against the floor.

 _"I can't wait to give these bastard a piece of my mind-"_

But before she could finish that thought, two guests walked in behind Shadow. Aleena quickly smiled and latched onto Shadow's arm, pretending he was Sonic. "Sonic, this is the chief of police and his wife, Espio and Cosmo." Shadow played along with his "mother" and smiled at the two, "Chief Espio, Mrs. Cosmo, welcome." Then Shadow motioned to the hall with a hand gesture, which the two smiled and thanked him as they headed towards the hall. The two waited while Espio and Cosmo walked away, before setting their gazes on each other. Aleena was quick to attack.

"Tonight is Sonic's birthday, don't mess it up." Her eyes hardened but he showed no emotion as she nagged him, "You owe Sonic your life. You agreed to do this." His eyes kept calm and he was composed. She became irritated that she could not get a reaction out of him as much as she could have years ago. Shadow looked up and saw Amy looking at him worriedly from the entrance to the hall. He smiled down at Aleena and released their arms, as he walked over to Amy. Aleena grumbled under her breath, and followed.

But it was true, Sonic's family didn't force him to do this favor. In fact, Aleena and Jules didn't even want to tell him, it was the butler who had came and sought him out many years ago and told him. He wasn't offered benefits, but the butler didn't beg either. He simply stated that Sonic was in trouble, and they needed Shadow to pretend to be married to Amy to overcome those problems.

Shadow had to make his brain think. Not many of these people knew Amy. So he had to pretend that he was married to her for the crowd. It was acting, just acting. "Sonic." Amy smiled up at him. He almost froze at the name, but remembered the role he was supposed to be playing. His heart ached at how soft spoken and happy she sounded saying that name. He gave her a small smile and pulled her towards him as he hugged her hips and kept her close. Amy blushed and her heart began to race. The two of them acted like the lovely couple everyone wanted to see. They acted sweet and affectionate in front of everyone. Whenever they approached someone that knew the both of them as Amy and Shadow, Shadow would not talk. People believed that after the incident, the reason Sonic didn't talk as much was because of his disfigurement.

So naturally when Silver and Blaze came over to talk, Shadow kept extremely silent. Amy smiled and looked over at Silver, "Silver, this is my husband, Sonic."

Silver gave a big playful smile and the two shook hands, "Nice to meet you, I'm Silver." Shadow pursed his lips. Neither Amy or Shadow wanted Blaze to catch on too quickly or linger for long, so they excused themselves to talk to other guests. They were not the only ones though, Aleena and Jules also wanted to end the party as quickly as possible in fear of being found out. She went on this long speech about Sonic and how great he was, and at the end, Shadow raised a glass to the crowd, "To my birthday."

* * *

As more guests arrived, Amy and Shadow walked hand in hand, settling down on a nearby sofa. Shadow didn't let go of her hand even after they sat down. After a few minutes, he had stood up, gently holding her elbow when she looked up at him confused. "Sh-" She stopped herself, almost giving away their secret, "Sonic?"

Sonic.

Shadow pursed his lips and let go suddenly as he walked off. She walked after him quickly, hand lightly gripping his wrist, "What's wrong?" He said nothing, as he brushed her hand away quickly and walked into the restroom. Amy watched him in a daze. She knew he was in a bad mood, and she also knew it couldn't have been because of her. Taking a deep breath, she turned and looked at her surroundings, trying to think of if she was in Shadow's shoes.

She turned and looked at the cheerful and laughing crowd. Then she turned and looked at Aleena and Jules. They smiled at the group politely, standing hand in hand.

Oh.

 _Oh._

A thought came to her mind. Two children, both males, both bloodline to Jules and his company. One son is unconscious, and is yet still receiving blessing while being on a hospital bed. One son, receiving exile and abandonment. His mother lost her job, and no one even remembers his birthday.

Meanwhile Shadow was smoking a cigarette in the bathroom. He sighed, he really didn't even like smoking that much. It was hard on his nose. But it was the only way to cope when he was irritated or missing Amy. He inhaled more smoke as he silenced his raging demons, then let out a puff of air. He knew he was being jealous, and he also knew that he was just acting as Sonic's replacement. But he was still irritated.

The more you love, the more sensitive you are. It isn't something you can control.

He flushed the ashes and stepped out of his stall as he walked to the mirror. No one was in here. He stared at himself and fixed his shirt. Then he washed his hands and dried them off before turning to the exit.

* * *

Shadow had walked out and saw Amy standing outside the restroom door. She looked worried and he frowned at her, "Sorry." She shook her head quickly.

"It's fine. They want you to cut the cake." He nodded and wrapped an arm around her waist as they lead them both back to the hall. When the two appeared, the lights in the hall were switched off in a flash. Shadow was confused momentarily, but then the shouting of _Happy Birthday_ were sung from around the room. Out came a large multilayered cake the size of a mobian. Amy smiled up at Shadow. He kept a forced smile and cut the cake. Soon after all the cake was handed out, it was time for presents. Everyone came and gave him all sorts of presents. Aleena and Jules went last, but right before Amy. Shadow froze as he accepted the present from Jules, for this was the first time he would be accepting a present from his biological father. Next was Amy, she gave him his gift and hugged him tightly, whispering a soft, _"Happy Birthday Shadow"_ that only she and him could hear. He immediately softened. Someone from the crowd then yelled,

"Give him a birthday kiss!"

Amy whispered into his ear again, "Let's do it? To get back at his parents." Shadow smirked and made eye contact with Aleena and Jules across the room. They both gave him death glares as to not do it. He pulled Amy from him slightly, he grabbed onto his tie and pulled him forward without warning. Their lips collided and in a hot kiss that lasted a few seconds. Everyone in the room cheered and roared.

* * *

After eating the cake, guests started to leave one after another. Amy and Shadow stood at the main doors as they said their goodbyes to the leaving guests. While they did this, the servants began to clean up the mansion. After that, there was no one left except for them and Aleena and Jules. Amy bit her lip as she told Shadow to wait where he was. She approached Aleena and Jules, and hugged them tightly. "Thank you for the fun time."

"Of course Amy, we always love seeing you." Aleena smiled, making sure to only say Amy and to exclude Shadow. Amy's eyes softened and she bit her lip once more as she looked between the two of them.

"Also... if you could... Please treat Shadow better. I know he's not your legitimate son, but he is still a person with feelings." These words shocked Amy as they escaped her mouth, and they shocked Sonic's parents too. "Shadow is my friend, and I would like it if you would just pretend to be nice to him, it least while I'm around." She bowed slightly before looking up again, "We'll be going first." She then turned and walked back towards Shadow. Aleena and Jules looking back at each other with a look in their eyes not even they could describe.

* * *

She was staring at him, and all he could see in her eyes was Sonic. As they drove home, one of his hands quickly went to look for the make up removing wipes in his console. He took them out and began wiping it on his face and qills. Amy frowned at him, "Shadow, there could be papparazi, we should wait until we get home." He thought for a second, stopping his actions, before he dropped the wipes and just pulled the scars off forcefully. Amy frowned again, "Shadow, what's going on? You're going to damage your skin if you do that."

His eyes narrowed as he pulled over at an abandoned camp site. He looked at her with hurt in his eyes, "I'm sorry. Do I disappoint you? Was that not enough Sonic for you?"


	49. Chapter 49

p style="text-align: center;"strongHey guys! I'm really sorry to say that I'm going to be dropping this story. I haven't really been as excited to finish it now as I was in the beginning. I might even just drop it temporarily. Heck, I might just be taking a break from it to start on something else. Idk. So for now, don't expect any updates for a while. :) ~/strong/p 


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